Promise of a Lifetime
by Nightengale'Serenade'93
Summary: The Akatsuki take in a young, lost girl- and raise her, hoping she could be of use.. but what happens when she finds her family?.. finds the truth?... what could go wrong- or what could go right? Rated t just in case- plus contains cussing. review please
1. Chapter 1

_Im completely horrible at keeping my own rules/word. I say no more new fanfics until i finish all or most my current ones... and what do i do? I go and mix up a new fanfic! -facepalms- Well, i'm keeping a list at least, and working on that list... so i should be alright :) - Hope you enjoy this new fanfic. I'm trying to do this in third person instead of first person... so we'll see how that works out. ENJOY!_

_Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto - just Kirimi_

_-  
I'll have this helpful info in the beginning of each chapter- if i remember, i'll try to_-

helpful info- Ages for this chapter:  
Kirimi : 5  
Itachi : 14  
Sasuke : 9

also- warning: Hidan tends to cuss a couple times in this chapter

The young girl leaned against one of the outside walls of the building, and slid down to the cold, hard, ground covered in snow. Her clothing, tattered, too small for her body allowed the cold winter air more access to her body. The wind blew her black, matted hair in every direction. Shivering slightly, she looked around and saw an abandon house. Getting up, she walked over to it and peered inside. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness inside the house, she saw a tattered blanket on the floor. Rushing over to it, she grabbed it; then heading back outside she laid the blanket down on the snow covered ground, and lay down on the blanket. As she tried to sleep, she stared straight ahead, at the crumbling building across the street; sleep wouldn't come though, it never did. So, she just closed her eyes and faked sleep.

-

The two partners walked through the snow covered village; their black cloaks provided some warmth from the cold.

"What do you think happened here, Itachi?" one asked.

"Probably the after math of war," Itachi answered, as he continued walking. The village they were in was almost completely abandoned. Very few people still stayed here- they could see remnants of small camps in alleys; footsteps in the snow gave sign that people had crossed through the village recently. As they walked through the village, a couple people- some elders, some children- looked out from where they were. The children would instantly disappear, due to fright of being attacked. The elders would watch carefully, not taking their eyes off the two travelers.

"Can we-"

"No Kisame," Itachi said," Killing people here is not a part of our mission." Kisame sighed sadly, but continued on walking. When they turned a corner they saw one young girl, it looked like, laying on the cold ground, only a thin blanket under her. She appeared to be sleeping- so she didn't run like the others did. As they passed, they seemed to be unaware of her eyes open, and her watching them- but they knew she was. When they got about ten feet away from her, she got up and ran over to them; she grabbed onto the back of Itachi's cloak and held tight. He stopped- which caused Kisame to look at him. Itachi turned and saw the little girl holding onto his cloak; Kisame also looked at saw the little girl.

"Get lost kid," Kisame told her, but she just stayed there, holding onto Itachi's cloak, rubbing her tired eyes.

"She is lost." Kisame and Itachi looked over at a crumbling house, and saw an old woman, about seventy.

"She's not a member of this village- she came here about six months ago," the elder said," No one knows who she is… she doesn't speak to anyone." With that, the elder disappeared into the house, leaving Itachi and Kisame to deal with the little girl. Itachi looked back down at the girl; the wind blew her black hair, and her green eyes stared up at Itachi, like she expected something. He bent down, and softly made her hands uncurl from his cloak.

"Stay here," he told her, and then stood up. With that, he and Kisame continued on their way. When they reached the end of the village, he looked back at the girl; she was still standing where he had left her. He turned back around, and continued walking.

-

She watched as the two walked away, and then they stopped at the end of the village. The black haired one looked back at her, and then turned back and continued walking. She ran all the way up to them again, and grabbed a hold of his cloak again. He stopped again, and sighed. He and Kisame looked back at her, and Itachi leaned down again; he uncurled her little hand from his cloak.

"I thought I told you to stay," Itachi said.

"Did," she responded.

"She probably thought when you turned back towards her- that she could come," Kisame told Itachi.

"Pein probably wont like this," Itachi said," If we brought back a young, little girl."

"You know him better then me- you've been in Akatsuki longer then I have," Kisame said.

"I know," Itachi sighed, and standing up, he looked down at the little girl. After looking at her for a couple minutes, he sighed.

"Maybe Pein can think of a way she could be useful," Itachi said, and then to her," Come on." He turned, and she instantly grabbed a hold of his cloak; then they continued on their journey.

"Hey- Itachi," Kisame said, as they walked.

"Hmm?"

"How come she only grabs a hold of your cloak?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Itachi replied, and Kisame nodded once.

-

They reached a cave, and done the necessary hand signs; a rock moved, and they walked in, the young girl still clutching onto the back of Itachi's cloak. She hadn't once let go since they left the village.

"Pein- Konan- everyone…"Kisame said, as they walked in," Itachi's got a new pet monkey on his back."

"What the fuck does that mean?!"

"New pet monkey?" A group of people came walking into the kitchen where Itachi, Kisame and the little girl now stood. Kisame moved to the side, and then they all saw her holding onto Itachi's cloak.

"That type of monkey on the back, huh?" Konan said, looking at the little girl.

"Itachi- explain the meaning of this," Pein ordered.

"We were walking through the remnants of a village which had been destroyed due to war," Itachi began," We came across her- and she instantly grabbed a hold of my cloak. I tried to get her to stay- and she did for a short amount of time- but then she came right back and held on again."

"What do we do Pein?" Konan asked.

"Itachi thinks that maybe you could find a way for her to be useful," Kisame told Pein, who looked at Kisame, and then to the young girl. Under the stare of the orange haired leader, she hid behind Itachi.

"Living room- let's all talk about this," Pein said, and turned towards the mentioned room," Itachi- get rid of your monkey before you come in the room." Itachi turned around, and softly uncurled her hand again.

"Stay here," he told her, and she blinked once. Itachi stood up and walked into the living room. The little girl stayed in the spot Itachi left her in, and waited patiently for him to return.


	2. Chapter 2

_Due to abandonment from the Akatsuki, and Roy leaving me hanging- and a wrench threat from Penna- im updating this now. Enjoy_

_Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto- just Kirimi_

_-  
helpful age info:  
Kirimi - 5  
Itachi - 14  
Sasuke - 9_

-

"So- you found her in the rundown, war-effected, remnants of a village on your way here huh?" Pein asked.

"Yes," Kisame answered.

"Anyone else around there?"

"Couple other kids, some elders – One elderly woman said the girl wasn't from the village- and had just appeared in the village six months ago. Hasn't spoken to anyone there," Itachi informed. Pein nodded, and looked out at the kitchen where the girl was. She was standing in the same spot Itachi had left her- looking in this way, but her eyes seemed to be on Itachi.

"If she stays here- everyone must take part," Pein said.

"What?!" a white haired man exclaimed.

"You heard me Hidan- everyone," Pein said, his eyes slightly narrowed. Hidan stared back at him for a minute, and then huffed and looked away.

"Well- what about a name?" Konan said, and everyone looked at her. She had a point- and they new it.

"When we asked her, she shook her head- saying she didn't know her name," Kisame informed.

"Kaori?"

"Kira?"

"Ditsy?"

"Mute?"

"What the hell kind of names are Ditsy and Mute?!" Hidan exclaimed.

"You try coming up with a name then." Hidan looked across the room at his partner- Kakuzu, and they glared at each other.

"I could care less what her name is," Hidan said. Everyone sighed, and a silence came over the room.

"Kirimi." Everyone looked up and saw Itachi looking over at the girl, who was still looking at him, blinking every now and then.

"Kirimi is a pretty name! Tobi votes for chibi's name to be Kirimi!"

"Everyone else alright with it?" Pein asked. Everyone nodded, including a little nod from Hidan.

"Very well- Kirimi it is," Pein said," Now, to fill her in on what's right and wrong here. Itachi- get her, will you?" Itachi nodded once, and got up and walked into the kitchen.

"Come on," Itachi told her, and she instantly grabbed a hold of the side of his cloak. Together, they walked into the living room, and stopped. Itachi softly pushed her towards Pein. When she looked up at him, and saw his gaze, she instead ran over to Konan and grabbed a hold of her cloak, staring forward- not looking at Pein.

"I think it's the piercings," Konan said.

"Or the glare in his eyes," Deidara continued. Pein sighed, and tried to look more friendly- but didn't know if it would work. Konan softly pried Kirimi's hands off of her cloak, and turned her towards Pein. As she looked up, her chin was slightly wobbling, like she was going to cry.

"Your name is Kirimi," Pein told her, and she nodded once; he continued," You can stay here- but there are rules." Again she nodded once, her gaze not leaving his. Her chin had slowly stopped wobbling.

"You'll be sleeping out here- since we don't have an extra room- you'll be sleeping on the couch- not the chairs," Pein told her, and with a nod from her, he continued," If you do wrong, their will be punishments. Each of us will help you with certain things. You are not to leave the cave without one of us. I believe Kakuzu would remind me to tell you this if I forgot to- so I'm telling you now. If you break something, you are in big, big trouble- and the punishment will be horrible." Kirimi's eyes slightly widened, but she nodded once.

"That should be all for now- anything else that comes to mind, I'll let you know. If you have any questions- just ask," Pein told her, and again, she nodded once.

"What now?" Kisame asked.

"Get her to know us?" Zetsu's white said suggested.

"Probably best to do that," Deidara agreed.

"Alright," Konan said, and sat down on the ground closer to Kirimi's level.

"Kirimi- I'm Konan," she said, and Kirimi blinked, and then nodded," Can you say Konan?" Kirimi stayed silent, so Konan took that as a no. Konan turned Kirimi to her right, so Kirimi was facing the next person.

"This is Zetsu- can you say Zetsu?" Again- silence; so Konan continued.

"Tobi- can you say Tobi?" Kirimi blinked once, and her mouth opened slightly, but nothing came out, and she shut her mouth.

"At least she tried," Konan said, and they continued on.

"Kakuzu…" Nothing from Kirimi followed," Hidan…" Still, nothing.

"Brat," Hidan said.

"Deidara…" Konan said; Kirimi blinked a couple times, and her mouth opened, and her mouth formed something that looked like it might have been his name- but no sound came.

"Sasori," Konan said, turning Kirimi towards the puppet. Kirimi stared at the puppet, and then walked over to it, and grabbed a hold of the tail. She looked at it curiously, and then to the face of the puppet master, which was covered by the cloth. Then, she let go of the tail and walked back over to Konan.

"I think him not looking human has her confused," Deidara said, and Konan nodded; then they continued.

"Kisame." Kirimi done nothing, so they continued," Itachi." Kirimi looked up at Itachi, and they stared at each other for a couple minutes, but nothing came from Kirimi. Konan turned her to the last remaining Akatsuki.

"Pein." Again, nothing happened.

"So- she tried to say something with Tobi and myself- and went up to Sasori," Deidara said, and Konan nodded, standing up. Kirimi watched as Konan sat down, and then she raced over to Itachi and grabbed his cloak. He looked down at her, and she looked up at him.

"Ita." Everyone looked over at Itachi and Kirimi, and Konan smiled.

"Maybe she just needed time to process the names?" Kisame suggested.

"It's possible," Deidara agreed.

"Well- I'm going to begin with lunch," Konan said, and got up. She walked out of the living room and into the kitchen. Kirimi watched her the whole time; Pein then thought of something.

"Itachi- take her around the cave- show her who's room is where, so she knows."

"Got it," Itachi nodded, and knowing that Kirimi was still holding his cloak he began walking further into the cave.

"You remember Kakuzu and Hidan?" Itachi asked, and Kirimi nodded, so Itachi continued," This is their room." They continued down the hall- Itachi pointing out a door to a room, and saying who stayed in there.

"Sasori and Deidara… Tobi and Zetsu… Kisame and myself… and finally Pein and Konan," Itachi told Kirimi, who nodded after each one; on their way back, Itachi pointed out one more room," That's the bathroom… you know how and when to use the bathroom, right?" Kirimi nodded, and he sighed, relieved. They walked back into the kitchen, and Itachi noticed the table was a little longer, and there was one more chair.

"Let's eat," Deidara said, sitting down. Everyone else sat down as well, and Kirimi stood behind Itachi. Finally, he turned and saw her standing there, so he spun slightly in the chair, picked her up and placed her in the chair beside him.

"Does she know how to eat properly?" Konan asked. Everyone turned and looked at Kirimi, who looked back at Itachi, and then at the food in front of her.

"Go ahead Kirimi- eat up," Konan said, and they all watched as Kirimi picked up the sandwich with her left hand and ate a small bite. They all sighed, relieved, and they too, ate their lunch.


	3. Chapter 3

_Im having a lot of fun with this story. It's probably going to end up being my favorite fanfic ever! Hope you enjoy._

_Beware the Kawaiiness!! XD_

_Disclaimer: I dont own naruto- just Kirimi_

--

Night fell, and everyone went to their rooms. When Itachi reached his, he stopped, and turned around. Behind him stood Kirimi, her thumbnail in her mouth, looking up at him. He sighed softly, and led her back into the living room.

"Stay here- it's time for bed," Itachi told her, and she nodded once. He stood up and walked out of the room. On his way, he blew out the fire that lit the room, and Kirimi was left in the dark. She blinked once, then twice, and then got up on the couch and lay down. After five minutes, she turned around, but still couldn't sleep.

"_You'll be sleeping out here- since we don't have an extra room- you'll be sleeping on the couch- not the chairs_." Pein's voice echoed in her head, as she stared at the chairs across the room. Kirimi kept tossing and turning for about an hour before she sat up, staring at the chairs.

"…_you'll be sleeping on the couch- not the chairs_." Pein's voice echoed again, and Kirimi's eyes began to glisten with tears. In the past three days, she had slept a total of about six hours. The little sleep she had been able to get was not enough- and soon, she'd probably end up passing out during the day. Standing up off the couch, Kirimi walked down the hall, and came to a stop at Itachi and Kisame's room. Softly pushing on the door, it opened without sound. She looked in and saw the darker shadows of Itachi and Kisame. Softly walking in, she walked all the way up to Itachi's bed. Blinking a couple times at Itachi's sleeping figure, she gently got up on the bed and lay beside him. Within seconds, she fell asleep, curled up next to him. When morning came, and Itachi woke up- he instantly knew someone was else besides Kisame was in the room. After his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he looked to his left and saw a small form.

"_Kirimi,"_ he thought, a soft smile tugging at his lips. Softly, he pushed up with his elbow and rolled over top of her, being careful not to wake the sleeping child. Once he was standing, he covered her with the blanket, and walked out of the room. Konan was instantly there.

"Have you seen Kirimi? I can't find her anywhere-"Konan began. Wordlessly, he opened his door, and gestured for her to look in. She peered in and saw the small shadow of Kirimi on Itachi's bed.

"Oh," Konan said, and backed out of the room quietly. Itachi shut the door and they walked towards the kitchen.

"I told her to stay out in the living room last night," Itachi said," And she was there- when I went to sleep, I was alone. But when I woke up- there she was." It was quiet for a few minutes while Konan made breakfast- waiting for everyone else to wake up. A couple minutes passed, and Kisame walked into the room.

"You know shortie is in your bed?" Kisame asked Itachi, and he nodded; Kisame nodded once, and sat down on the couch, his arm over his head. As time passed, the others came into the kitchen or living room. By the time thirty minutes had passed, everyone was up- except Kirimi.

"Where's chibi?" Tobi asked, sitting on the floor, looking around.

"Asleep on Itachi's bed," Konan replied

"Oh," Tobi said, and then Pein looked up.

"I told her the couch was her bed."

"For some reason, Itachi found her sleeping with him this morning," Konan told him.

"One of the rules… not even a day later… this might have been the wrong thing… letting her stay," Pein said.

"Now, now Pein- there might be a reasonable explanation for her defying that rule," Konan said, putting breakfast on the table," I'll go get Kirimi- that way her food wont get cold." Everyone began scooping them out their breakfast while Konan left. She walked into Itachi and Kisame's room, and over to where Kirimi was, sleeping soundly. Softly, Konan shook Kirimi's arm. Instantly, Kirimi's eyes opened, blinking a couple times. Her fists rubbed her sleepy eyes, and she turned towards Konan.

"Time for breakfast Kirimi," Konan told her, and Kirimi nodded. Standing up and walking towards the door, Konan soon felt something grab a hold of her shirt. Looking behind her, she saw Kirimi there, holding onto the rim of her shirt. Konan smiled slightly, and together they walked out to the kitchen. Konan felt Kirimi let go, and everyone watched as Kirimi walked over to Itachi and grabbed a hold of the back of his chair. Her eyes still looked glazed over, like she was sleep walking almost. Itachi turned around and picked her up, setting her in the chair next to him. He had already dished her out a small amount for her to eat when Konan had gone to get Kirimi.

-

After breakfast was over, everyone gathered into the living room.

"Lets see if she can at least remember who is who," Konan said, and sat on the floor- more near Kirimi's height.

"Hey Kirimi- lets play a name game, alright?" Konan asked, and Kirimi nodded, so Konan continued," I'm going to say the name of one of us- and you have to go to that person- alright?" Kirimi nodded again, so Konan began.

"Zetsu." Kirimi looked around at everyone, and then walked over to the two-sided, plant-headed member of the Akatsuki.

"Very good- now Hidan," Konan continued. Again, Kirimi looked around, and then walked over to the white haired Jashin praiser.

"At least the brat knows who I am," Hidan muttered. Konan continued on, and each time Kirimi would look around, and then go to that person.

"Pein."

"Kisame."

"Tobi."

"Konan."

"Deidara."

"Itachi."

"Kakuzu."

"Sasori," Konan finished; this time though, Kirimi looked around, and then looked again. She stood next to Kakuzu and then, fell to the ground- sitting down.

"Where's Sasori at Kirimi?" Konan asked, and Kirimi shrugged her little shoulders, looking around at everyone. Konan and Pein looked over at the red-headed puppet master, who was sitting on the couch next to Kisame. Sasori nodded, and Konan looked over at Pein, who nodded as well.

"Kirimi," Konan said, and she looked over at her; Konan pointed to Sasori, and told Kirimi," That's Sasori." Kirimi looked over at where Konan was pointing and blinked. She stood up and walked over to him and looked at him. Then she turned around and shook her head no very quickly. Konan sighed, and then watched as Kirimi ran off, down the hall. Everyone got up and followed; they found Kirimi in the room where Sasori and Deidara slept. She was beside the puppet body Sasori usually occupied when on missions. Kirimi looked at it, confused; then she turned around, and pointed to it.

"Ori," Kirimi said. Konan looked to Pein, and they nodded to each other, and then to Sasori. They would make her see that Sasori was who they said he was- and not a puppet body- even though he was.


	4. Chapter 4

_This is a pretty good chapter. Hope you enjoy._

_to Losgap: yes, yes- poor little confused monkey.. not knowing Sasori was... Sasori xD_

_Disclaimer: i dont own Naruto- just Kirimi_

--

Konan led Kirimi back out to the living room and everyone except Sasori followed. They all sat and waited for about a minute or so, before Sasori came out into the living room, inside of his puppet.

"Ori." Kirimi said, walking up to him. She grabbed a hold of his tail, and smiled at him.

"Eh," Sasori said, and Kirimi let go of his tail, and hugged his neck area. It was a little hard to do, since he was so big and she was small, but she still tried.

"So now what do we do?" Kisame asked.

"Teach her to speak… teach her some ninja abilities… just in general, teach her things- she's in the growing stage, and needs to be taught," Konan said, and everyone stared at her.

"What do we teach her first?"

"More like- Who teaches her first?" Hidan said," And it sure the hell isn't going to be me." Everyone then looked up at Pein, and Kirimi walked up to Itachi, grabbing a hold of his finger with her small hand.

"Ita," Kirimi said, looking up at him; then she looked back over at Sasori, and said," Ori."

"Pull straws?" Tobi suggested, and Pein nodded. Tobi ran into the kitchen and came back moments later with cut straws. He handed them to Pein and then sat back on the floor. Pein shuffled them in his hand, and then pulled on himself.

"Alright, come and take a straw- orderly fashioned," Pein ordered. They some what done as told- a little shoving just to get on the nerves of the other one.

"So- who's is shortest?" Pein asked, looking at each person standing around him. Everyone cast a nervous glance at their hand with the straw, and then held it out to see who's was shortest.

"Kah!" Hidan said triumphantly, and walked away. His straw had been taller then Kakuzu's- so he was safe. Kakuzu glared at him and looked at the others. Deidara sighed, and his head hung.

"What exactly am I supposed to teach her? She's… how old is she again?" Deidara asked.

"I'd say she's about 5," Konan answered.

"Five… Five?! What do you teach a five year old?!" Deidara exclaimed.

"I don't know- you figure it out, Teacher," Pein said, and left the room. The others followed, leaving Deidara there with Kirimi and Itachi- she still had a hold of his pant leg.

"So… any ideas?" Deidara asked Itachi hopefully; wordlessly, Itachi bent down, uncurled Kirimi's hand and walked away, and Deidara sarcastically said," Gee- thanks." He looked down at where Kirimi stood, and she looked up at him; he decided to show her what he was best at.

"Come on pipsqueak- lets go," Deidara said, and as he passed her, she grabbed a hold of his right pant leg. He smiled slightly, and then led her outside.

"Alright- this is c4 clay," Deidara said, kneeling down to Kirimi's level, and showing her the clay in the pouch he always carried," What this, un." He reached into the pouch, and after a couple minutes, pulled his hand out. Flexing his hand, he then flattened his hand, and there stood a bird shaped piece of clay. Kirimi's eyes widened when she saw it; Deidara tossed it up in the air and it soared around for about a minute.

"See shortie- art can be fun," Deidara smiled, and he made the bird explode. He looked over at Kirimi and saw her looking at where the bird had exploded; he face then lifted in a smile, and she looked at the pouch that held the clay. Silently, she held out her hand, and blinked.

"What, un?" he asked her; she pointed to the pouch, and then held her hand flat; Deidara asked," What? You want clay?" She nodded, and he looked at her.

"Alright- you can have some… I guess," Deidara said, and using the tips of his fingers, picked out a small amount and handed it to her. Kirimi flexed her hand, trying to create something. It ended up looking like a crescent moon; she tossed it in the air, and mimicked what Deidara had done to make it explode.

"No freaking way," Deidara breathed, as the clay exploded. He looked back at Kirimi, who was now laughing and smiling.

"Well all be…" Deidara said, smiling slightly, looking at Kirimi with some huge respect," I never expected that I would see that… looks like I have myself a fellow real art appreciator." Kirimi walked back over to Deidara and held out her hand for more clay.

"You know what- I'll get you your own clay if you can say my name," Deidara said, handing her a little bit more; he then got an idea, and stood up saying," Come on- lets go show the others what you learned- shall we?" Kirimi nodded and grabbed onto Deidara's pant leg. They walked back into the cave and found everyone in the living room, dining room, kitchen area.

"Everyone- Kirimi would like to show you something," Deidara said, and everyone looked at them; Deidara turned to puppet-Sasori and said," Sas my man- this child appreciates real art." Deidara looked down at Kirimi and nodded. She flexed her hand a couple times and then opened her hand to show the crescent-shaped clay. Throwing it up in the air, she done just as she had outside, and the clay exploded. Everyone was speechless; Kirimi smiled and laughed when the clay had exploded and looked up at Deidara.

"No un- no more clay until you say my name," Deidara said, shaking his head," I keep giving you clay and I'll run out of my own stock." She made a pouting face and sat down on the floor.

"How did you do that?" Konan asked.

"What- the clay thing?" Deidara asked, and Konan nodded, so Deidara told her," I just showed her once me doing it- a bird though, not a moon- and she mimicked me. Done it perfectly the first time.

"Huh- Chibi's smart!" Tobi exclaimed, and Pein nodded.

"Yes, she is. I think she'll do just fine here," Pein said.

"Do you think its time…" Konan asked Pein, and he nodded, so Konan said, "Hey Kirimi- Sasori would like to show you something." Kirimi looked over to the puppet master and blinked.

"Ori." She watched as the outer shell of the puppet lifted, and revealed the red-head inside. Kirimi stood up and walked over to him, looking at him curiously.

"Ori?" she asked, putting a fingertip on the tip of Sasori's nose.

"Yes," Sasori nodded; Kirimi smiled, and finally understood that he and the puppet were one of the same.

"So- now that she's learned something- who trains her after lunch?" Deidara asked.

"I think that maybe… Itachi should," Pein said," His straw was second shortest after all."

"Very well," Konan said, standing up," Now- time for lunch." Kirimi followed them into the kitchen and Itachi picked her up and placed her on the chair. As he ate, the thought of what he could possibly teach her.


	5. Chapter 5

_Alrighty... this chapter was pretty fun to write. I hope you enjoy it!_

_to Penna: yes, i wondered myself wat Itachi was going to teach her... without spoiling the future chapters too much... it was kinda hard to figure something out at first... then i finally chose something._

_Warning: Hidan cusses in this chapter_

_Disclaimer: i dont own Naruto- just Kirimi_

--

Itachi stood outside with Kirimi, thinking of what to do. They stood there, staring at each other for who knows how long- before Itachi finally decided the only thing he could really do was weapon training. Walking around the clearing, Itachi placed numerous hit spots for the kunai.

"Stay here," Itachi told Kirimi, who nodded, and watched; Itachi leaped up in the air, spun upside down and threw kunai, as he had numerous times back at Konoha, when he had been growing up. Each kunai traveled through the air, a couple hitting others, and knocking them into a new path. Every kunai landed right at the bulls eye- center of each target. Itachi landed on the ground and looked over at Kirimi hopefully. He sighed, relieved when she was smiling, examining one of the kunai.

"Here," Itachi said, picking up the kunai and kneeling down," Let's start out with something easy…" He didn't want her to get hurt- so he helped her learn to hold the kunai right- which took about an hour. After that was successful, he taught he defensive and attack postures with it- that took a good two hours. Deidara had been right- once she sees something; she picks it up rather quickly. The little girl was a prodigy… Itachi shook his head, wondering why it was like this- but sighed and continued teaching her things with the kunai. As dark fell upon them, Kirimi had learned to successfully aim, throw and defend herself with a kunai. She didn't even show any signs of being tired as they walked back to the cave.

"So… how'd it go Itachi?" Pein asked, as he and Kirimi walked into the living room.

"Deidara was right- she picks things up quickly after seeing it only once," Itachi said.

"What'd you teach her?" Sasori asked.

"Hey, Kirimi- show them what you learned today," Itachi said. Kirimi nodded and took the kunai Itachi handed her. She looked around and her eyes seemed to lock with Hidan's. In split seconds, she threw the kunai straight at his head.

"What the fuck you little bitch!" Hidan exclaimed, as the kunai lodged itself in the cave right beside his head.

"She missed him…" Pein said, blinking a couple times. Hidan jumped up from the couch and went to grab Kirimi by her shirt. Just as he was about to grab her- he felt something knock him over. He looked up from the ground and saw Itachi standing over him.

"She wasn't aiming for you," Itachi said, walking over to the kunai and pulling it out of the wall," She was aiming for the spider." On the blade of the kunai was a spider- which had been about to crawl onto Hidan's head. All the Akatsuki's looked at Kirimi who was smiling up at Itachi; they had to admit- this child just kept surprising them.

"Alright… um, so who's next at teaching her? We'll do two a day- one before lunch and one after- until she learns enough," Pein said.

"My straw was next shortest," Sasori said.

"Then mine," Konan continued.

"Very well- Sasori, you'll teach her something in the morning- then before lunch, we'll see what you taught her. Then, after lunch, Konan will teach her- and before dinner, we'll see what she learned from you." Konan and Sasori nodded, and then they all heading into the kitchen for dinner.

-

That night- Kirimi was left in the living room again; she watched from the entry to the living room as everyone went down the hall to their rooms and disappeared inside them. Her eyes slightly glistened with tears, and she walked over to the couch slowly. Sitting on it, she stared out into the darkness; clutching the blanket that Konan had given her to keep warm, she stared at the chairs. Her head turned and she looked back at the hall; then she lay down and tried to get to sleep. After about two hours of tossing and turning- and still no sleep, Kirimi sat up, frowning. Looking back at the hallway, she stood up and walked down the hall to one of the rooms. Opening the door, she walked in softly, and bumped into the puppet form Sasori usually is seen in. She crawled inside the armor-like body and laid down, curling up with the blanket and fell asleep within minutes.

-

The next morning came, and when Sasori got up and walked past his puppet- he stopped. Looking down, he saw Kirimi curled up inside, and couldn't help but let a soft smile escape his lips. He looked up when he heard Deidara yawn, and motioned him over. Deidara grunted softly, and walked over. When he got to where Sasori was and looked down, he softly laughed. Sasori bent down and picked the sleeping girl up; holding her to where he was sure she would fall, he and Deidara walked out of their room. Kirimi's arms wrapped around Sasori's neck and she tightened her grip on him. When he and Deidara walked into the kitchen with Kirimi, Konan couldn't help but let a soft 'Aww' escape her mouth.

"So- she slept with you last night?" Itachi asked Sasori.

"Not exactly- I found her curled up in the puppet," Sasori said, sitting down at the table with Kirimi still holding onto him, sleeping.

-

"Alright- Kirimi… remember yesterday- when Deidara taught you that neat explosion trick?" Sasori asked, and Kirimi nodded, smiling; Sasori continued," Well- I'm gonna teach you something even better. Real art- things that last more then a few seconds." Kirimi's eyes widened, and she smiled a huge smile- all her teeth showing. Sasori smiled back- only the upper parts of his lips lifting though. Sasori brought out a small wooden puppet and placed it in front of Kirimi. She looked at it, and then back up to Sasori, confusion showing in her eyes.

"What this," Sasori said, and moved his finger tips. The puppet instantly moved, and walked around. Kirimi's face brightened, as she watched the puppet move around. Sasori sat down across from Kirimi and the puppet sat as well.

"First- before you can do this- you need to learn to mold, sculpt, and control your chakra," Sasori told her. She blinked at him a couple times, and he looked down at the ground- trying to find an easier way to explain this.

"Alright… did you feel anything different about yourself when you made the explosion with Deidara yesterday?" Sasori asked, and Kirimi nodded, so Sasori continued," Alright- can you feel that way again?" Again, she nodded, and after a couple minutes, she mimicked the hand signals that Sasori had done. The puppet's arm moved a little- but nothing else. Kirimi frowned, and tried it again- the same result. She began to get frustrated, and soon she got so frustrated, she stuck her tongue out at the puppet. Sasori couldn't help but laugh softly.

"It's alright Kirimi," Sasori told her," It'll take some time to learn some things- it wont all be easy. With this, you have to learn a couple other things- chakra control mainly. Why don't we start with that- shall we?" Kirimi looked at him, then back at the puppet- and back at him, and then nodded.

"Alright- then lets get started," Sasori said, and they began practicing.


	6. Chapter 6

_This was a pretty fun chapter to write. I enjoyed it- gave me some laughs and some 'aww' moments. Hope you all enjoy it as well!_

_Note: Due to Hidan's inability to not cuss- there is cussing in this chapter. _

_Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto- just Kawaii Kirimi_

* * *

A week passed- and Kirimi was learning a lot of things. According to Tobi- Konan had taught Kirimi the funniest thing of everyone- which Kirimi loved practicing a lot- and was given enough chances to practice- thanks to an unwilling Jashinist.

After having spent the morning with Itachi, Kirimi walked into the kitchen, from being outside. When she went through the kitchen towards Sasori's room- she heard Hidan shout.

"Damn it all to hell!" Poking her head into the living room- she saw Hidan sitting on the floor, rubbing his head. Beside him was one of the books she had placed on the shelf during practice with Tobi. Kirimi didn't know what they had been practicing- but it was fun. Hidan looked up- and when he saw Kirimi standing there- he glowered at her.

"You little-" he began and she took off," Get back here you little annoying brat!" Hidan scrambled up off the floor and gave chase. She ran without looking back and into Sasori's room. Sasori watched silently from beside his puppet form, as Kirimi crawled into the puppet and shut the lid down. Shrugging, he continued working on the puppet's body.

"Sasori- have you seen the little brat?!" Hidan asked.

"Nope." Hidan seethed to himself, and stomped off- continuing on looking for Kirimi. When he was sure Hidan was far enough away, Sasori opened the puppet back up to find Kirimi sitting inside, smiling at him.

"I don't even want to know what you done this time kid," Sasori said, shaking his head in amusement," now hop on out and go find Deidara- it's his turn to practice with you." Kirimi nodded and quickly climbed out of the puppet and ran out of the room. When she got to the end of the hall- she heard a door slam.

"There you are! Get back here!" Quickly, she took off running, as fast as her little legs would carry her. Running out of the cave, she saw Deidara up ahead, and raced towards him.

"Dei-dei!" she exclaimed, and he looked up. Sighing, he stood up and Kirimi hid behind him. Hidan came to a halt in front of him and pointed.

"Out of the way kid- that brat's mine!" Hidan exclaimed.

"What happened?" Konan asked, walking over with Tobi behind her.

"One of the books she had put away- fell and landed on my head!"

"Oh come on Hidan- she's a kid!" Konan exclaimed," You expect her to put books away on that top shelf?"

"Then who….-"Hidan said, and then glared at the masked shinobi behind Konan," TOBI!"

"Tobi is a Good Boy!" Tobi exclaimed, and ran as quick as he could.

"Get back here you little fucker!" Hidan exclaimed, but before he could take off running, Kirimi kicked him in the shins.

"Hi-chan, that's a no no," Kirimi scolded him. He glared at her, before getting up and stomping off, muttering under his breath.

"Kirimi is a good girl," Tobi said, and Kirimi looked behind her and saw Tobi there. She giggled, causing Deidara and Konan to smile softly.

"Well- ready to practice, un?" Deidara asked her.

"Yep!" she nodded; she sat down with Deidara and they began with their shape making with the c4, chakra-filled clay.

-

When dinner came around, Kirimi hopped up into her chair and cringed under the deathly glare she was getting from Hidan.

"Hidan," Pein warned, and Hidan, after a couple seconds, dropped his gaze.

"Thank you papa," Kirimi said, and they began eating.

After dinner, while Kirimi was getting ready for bed, the Akatsuki members all talked.

"Any idea on who she's planning on sleeping with tonight?" Konan asked.

"Might be Itachi- he's her favorite out of all of us," Sasori said, and the others nodded.

"How come she never sleeps with Tobi? Tobi's a good boy," Tobi whined.

"You're not the only one she hasn't slept with- she hasn't slept with Kakuzu, Hidan, Kisame or Zetsu yet," Konan told him.

"She hasn't slept with Kakuzu or Hidan yet because Hidan locks the door at night," Kisame pointed out.

"I aint having that brat sleep with me- no way in hell!" Hidan exclaimed. Konan sighed, and Kirimi walked in to the room. When everyone looked at her- she stopped in her tracks; when she saw Hidan's glare she ran behind Itachi, hiding behind him.

"Hidan," Pein warned. Wordlessly, he walked out of the room and down the hall to his room. The door slammed shut and Konan sighed. A soft hiccup came from behind Itachi, and then a sniffle.

"Oh no," Pein groaned softly. Konan walked around Itachi and Kirimi launched herself into Konan's arms. Tears were falling down her face, and she cried softly.

"Mama… why does… Hi-chan… hate me?" Kirimi cried.

"Oh- he doesn't hate you Kirimi… It's just how Hidan acts," Konan said, trying to cheer the crying young girl up. Her teary eyes looked into Konan's and she nodded softly.

"Try not to think about it chibi-chan," Tobi said," Chibi-chan is a good girl!" Kirimi couldn't help but smile- and everyone sighed inwardly, relieved. They all walked down the hall- to their room. Kirimi stood in the kitchen, and watched as the last door shut. Then she got an idea- and walked around the base. Getting materials from Pein's office, from the living room, and from the kitchen, Kirimi sat on the kitchen floor and made a homemade necklace for Hidan- that looked exactly like the one he always wore. After a couple hours- with some trial and error- she finally finished it. Smiling to herself, she put it safely away in one of the books on the floor in the living room and fell asleep there- on the floor.


	7. Chapter 7

_Oh gosh- i love this chapter. It made me smile at times. I hope you all enjoy! Thanks to those who reviewed last chapter!  
Happy Holidays everyone!_

_Disclaimers: I dont own Naruto- just Kirimi!_

--

When the next morning came, and Konan walked out to the kitchen with Itachi and Sasori with her- they were slightly surprised to see Kirimi fast asleep on the floor.

"Well that's different," Sasori said, as Itachi walked into the living room and picked up the sleeping girl. As he stood up, her eyes blinked open, and she smiled slightly.

"Ita-kun.." Kirimi reached up and locked her arms around his neck. Itachi walked over to the kitchen table and sat down; moments later, everyone else was sitting around the table.

"Who'd chibi sleep with last night?" Tobi asked.

"No one- we found her out in the living room," Konan responded. Everyone looked in shock at Kirimi's sleeping form- who still had her arms wrapped around Itachi's neck.

"Kirimi- time for breakfast," Konan said, putting Kirimi's bowl at her seat. Kirimi's head moved slightly, and then she sleepily looked at the bowl. She let go of Itachi and got down from his lap- then sat in her chair and slowly began eating.

-

Thirty minutes later, Kirimi was about to go find Sasori to practice, but then remembered what she had done last night. She ran into the living room and picked up the book- then ran out of the cave and up to Hidan.

"What the hell do you want?!" Hidan exclaimed, and Kirimi kicked him in the shins. He growled at her, but she stood her ground, staring up at him.

"Go find Sasori- or whoever the hell you're training with next," Hidan said, and again, Kirimi kicked him in the shins.

"Stop fucking kicking me!" Hidan exclaimed, but Kirimi kicked him again.

"Stop saying bad words then Hi-chan!" Kirimi exclaimed back, stubbornly. Hidan rolled his eyes- but kept quiet.

"Kirimi- Sasori's looking for you," Kisame said.

"I'm practicing with Hi-chan today," Kirimi told him.

"The hell you are!" Hidan exclaimed, earning him another kick in the shins.

"Okay… I'll let Sasori know," Kisame smiled, turning around and walking back towards the cave.

"Great," Hidan scowled; they stared at each other for about five minutes, and then he pulled out a kunai and gave it to her, saying," Knock yourself out." Kirimi took the kunai and without looking away from Hidan, she threw it to her left. Hidan looked and saw she had hit a snake with dead precision. Stunned, he looked at her, and then sighed.

-

"Stop following me!" Hidan exclaimed, four hours later. Kirimi had been following him, waiting for him to teach her something or practice something- but he hadn't done anything. Hidan though, was getting a migraine, and the little shadow that wouldn't leave him alone was getting on his last nerve.

"Then practice with me!" Kirimi exclaimed back; Hidan stopped and looked back at her.

"Why?! You have six other people who are more then willing to practice with you! Why do I have to?!" Hidan asked.

"Because- you never do! Papa said that everyone had to help teach me!"

"---" Hidan didn't know what to say. Kirimi had a point- Pein had said that, and if Pein were to find out Hidan wasn't doing his share, the result wouldn't be pretty.

"What do I have to do?"

"Just watch and make sure I do it right- and if I do it wrong, then correct me," Kirimi told him.

"Fine." He followed her outside and sat down on one of the huge boulders- and watched.

-

When they went back outside after lunch, Hidan realized something.

"Hey- brat… why are you carrying that book everywhere with you?" Kirimi looked back at him and slightly smiled, but said nothing. Hidan looked at her curiously- but shrugged and sat down. He closed his eyes and concentrated- but felt something different. Then he realized that Kirimi was peering at him closely- only mere millimeters from his face. Hidan blew air out of his mouth and opened his eyes to find Kirimi falling backwards with a small shriek of surprise. She landed on her butt, and looked up at him. At first, he panicked- and though she was going to cry; but to his surprise, she began laughing. Hidan couldn't help but smile- a little uncertain, but he shrugged. After a couple minutes, with watching her hit the targets perfectly, she sat down next to him.

"Hi-chan?"

"What is it brat?"

"Why do you lock yourself in your room for hours at a time every day?" That was a question he hadn't seen coming- but answered nonetheless.

"Because- im doing rituals- and I cant be interrupted during them."

"Oh… do you need a lot of blood for those rituals?"

"Yeah- I need a sacrifice each time."

"Wow… what do you sacrifice?"

"Myself." She looked at him with wide eyes, her mouth slightly open.

"But… when you say sacrifice… doesn't that mean you kill the sacrifice?" All these questions would normally make him pissed off- but they were about something he didn't mind talking about.

"Yeah- but when I kill myself, I die only momentarily… as you can tell- or else I wouldn't be here."

"Wow… how do you do that?"

"Do you truly want to know?" Kirimi nodded and so Hidan stood up.

"Come with me then." Hidan began walking away and Kirimi instantly followed.

-

Hidan closed the bedroom door behind him and Kirimi jumped up onto his bed. She placed the book down beside her and watched as Hidan cut himself open with a kunai. Then, he drew a symbol with his blood on the floor. Kirimi recognized the symbol as the same design his necklace had. When she looked up at him, she saw that his skin tone had changed.

"Hi-chan looks like a skeleton," Kirimi noted, and Hidan looked up at her; he nodded and then turned towards the wall. He closed his eyes, began muttering under his breath- and then stabbed himself directly in the heart with the kunai. Kirimi's eyes widened in shock as she watched Hidan fall to the floor, a smile on his face. She blinked a couple times and sat there- waiting. Thirty minutes later, Hidan's skin tone turned back to its natural color and he sat up.

"…Wow…" was all Kirimi could think of saying.

"Hopefully that doesn't give you nightmares- cuz if it does, I'll never hear the end of it from Konan," Hidan said, standing up. The door opened and Kakuzu walked in; when he saw Kirimi and Hidan's bleeding body, he shook his head.

"-…."

"Don't you fucking start with me," Hidan told Kakuzu. Kirimi jumped up off the bed and went to kick him in the shins, but slipped on the blood and fell.

"Ha!" Hidan exclaimed, smiling slightly; Kirimi looked up and him and stuck her tongue out at him. Then she saw wire-like things and saw they were coming from Kakuzu. Kirimi realized that he was stitching up Hidan's cut.

"When Konan sees the blood on Kirimi- she's going to have a spaz attack," Kakuzu said.

"I know," Hidan sighed, looking down at Kirimi who was trying to stand up- but kept slipping. Finally, Hidan reached down and picked her up himself and stood her up outside of the blood spots. Kirimi picked up the book and walked out of the room with Kakuzu and Hidan.

"Is there something special about the necklace?" Hidan looked down at the necklace around his neck and then back at her.

"Eh… just shows those who are true followers of Lord Jashin… and reminds those who don't have a brain of the symbol," Hidan told her.

"Kirimi- what happened to you?!" Konan exclaimed when they walked into the kitchen.

"It's alright mama," Kirimi said," I was just spending time with Hi-chan." Konan glared at Hidan who shrugged sheepishly.

"She asked me about it and said she wanted to know," Hidan told her.

"She's only five years old!"

"Mama- its alright. I'm fine," Kirimi smiled. Konan looked over at her and sighed.

"Itachi- take her to a stream and clean her up, will you?" Konan asked him.

"Sure- come on Kirimi," Itachi said, standing up. Kirimi nodded, and turned to Hidan.

"Hi-chan?"

"Yeah brat?"

"Last night- I made this for you," Kirimi said, and opened the book; inside of it was the necklace she had made. Kirimi held it up to Hidan and he stared at it; Konan couldn't help but smile slightly. Kirimi put it in Hidan's hand and then skipped over to Itachi- and they left for the stream. Hidan held up his hand and looked at the necklace.

"She… made this for me?" Hidan questioned; never before had anyone done something like that- and he felt honored; but he couldn't let anyone know that this affected him in a good way. He walked back to his room and put it away in one of his drawers, smiling slightly.

"_Maybe the brat isn't that bad of a kid anyway_," Hidan thought, as he walked back out to the kitchen.


	8. Chapter 8

Kinda short... but its all i could manage at the moment. Longer chapter coming up shortly- i promise you all!

Disclaimers: I dont own Naruto- just Kirimi!

o0o0

A couple of weeks had passed- and Kirimi was getting restless with repeating the same things over and over- never learning anything new.  
"Tobi?"  
"Yes chibi-chan?" Tobi asked, looking over at her. They were in the living room, sitting on the floor; Kirimi reading a book that Itachi had passed on to her, for her to learn some more. It was a book on chakra control.  
"When do i learn things like what are listed in here? The jutsu stuff?" Kirimi asked him, curiously.  
"Uhm... well... I don't know..." Tobi said, uncertainly, and saw Kisame in the kitchen.  
"Kisame-san!?"  
"What?" he called back, not bothering to look up from his samehada.  
"Chibi-chan wants to know when she'll learn the big, awesome jutsu's."  
"Oh, uh...." Kisame faltered, looking up across the room at them," Well, uhm..." he scratched his head, looking lost.  
"Go ask Pein-sama," Kisame said, and went back to examining his sword.  
"Alright!" Tobi exclaimed, jumping up; he looked down at Kirimi, and said," Stay here while i talk to Pein-sama!"  
"Okay," Kirimi nodded, and Tobi took off.

o0o0o0o0o

Pein and Konan sat in the secret room, figuring out when the next team should be sent out for Jinchuriki hunting.  
"Pein." He looked up and nodded as Tobi walked into the light.  
"Yes Madara?"  
"Kirimi is beginning to get restless- time to kick up the training to the next notch. Start with jutsu's. I'll be watching from a small distance- and when i cant, I'll have Zetsu watch her, and report to me. Start the training with Itachi... there's something about her that is slightly influencing him... I want to find out what that is- soon."  
"Very well," Pein nodded," While you're here- who do we send out for a Jinchuriki hunt?"  
"Go with Zetsu and myself- i want to get away from the annoying brat as soon as possible," Tobi/Madara answered, and Pein nodded once more.

o0o0o0o0o0

"CHIBI-CHAN!!" Tobi exclaimed loudly, skipping out into the living room.  
"Yeah Tobi?" Kirimi asked excitedly, looking up at him with wide-eyes.  
"Pein-sama said he'd assign Itachi to be your first teacher in jutsu's!"  
"YAY!" Kirimi exclaimed jumping up off the ground and jumping around," I'm gonna go find Ita and let him know!" With that, the young, black-haired and green eyed girl took off. It wasn't long before she found Itachi outside by the river. In her excitement, she nearly knocked him into the river as she glomp-hugged him from behind.  
"ITACHI- Guess What?!?!"  
"Hmm?" Itachi said, keeping his gaze looking out over the water. Kirimi walked off the bank and stood in front of him.  
"Tobi said you're the first one who gets to teach me jutsu's!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide again.  
Itachi's eyes flickered to her, and then he looked back out over the water. Looking down briefly at the water below him, his reflection staring back, he stood up.  
"Follow me then." Kirimi nodded, and obediently followed Itachi. After a while, they came to a tree and Itachi tore off a strip of bark. Turning around, he handed the bark to her.  
"This bark will tell us what element you have. Let some of your chakra flow onto it," Itachi instructed, and Kirimi nodded. The blue chakra eased out of her fingers and onto the bark. Instantly, the bark crumpled and sogged, falling to the ground in a glump of goo-like mess. Itachi stared at the bark for a minute before nodding to himself and then began walking again.  
"Follow me."  
"What did it tell you Itachi?" Kirimi asked as she followed.  
"You're element is water."  
"Okay!" They walked in silence for a little while, and then came to the cave. Once inside, Itachi found his partner.  
"Kisame- she needs a water style user to help her. You're a water-style user... will you-?" The fish-skinned missing-nin looked at Itachi- then at Kirimi and sighed.  
"Very well- follow me shortie," Kisame said, and Kirimi nodded; she was sad that Itachi wasn't the one to be teaching her- but she understood Itachi's reasoning- so she thought. It was a good idea to let someone teach her that also used the same style she was to learn.

o0o0o0o0o0o

After two weeks of learning from Kisame- Kirimi had learned several jutsu's that would help her out in any battles she got herself in. Kirimi sat in the living room, staring at the wall across the room, twirling a kunai in her hands. She had began realizing that Itachi was slowly distancing himself from her- and she was wondering why.  
"Have i done something wrong? Have i upset Itachi somehow?" Kirimi thought.  
"What's wrong?" Kirimi looked over at the kitchen and saw Sasori looking at her.  
"Itachi's distancing himself from me, and i don't know why," Kirimi told him, saddened; her bottom lip began wobbling, and her eyes watered," Did i do something wrong Danna?"  
"No- I don't believe you did shortie," Sasori told her, coming into the living room and kneeling down in front of her," Itachi's... well- its kinda hard to explain... but there's things about Itachi- things about all of you- you don't know. It's nothing personal, against you kid- it's just... us."  
"Oh..." Kirimi said, and looked at the kunai. It had been the one Itachi had given her- the first one she had ever held.  
"Cheer up kid- don't worry about it, 'kay?" Sasori said.  
"'Kay." Sasori stood up and ruffled Kirimi's hair- then left. Tobi and Zetsu had left shortly after Kirimi had begun learning the jutsu stuff- and had yet to return. Then what Sasori had just said finally processed in Kirimi's head.  
"_What exactly don't I know about Itachi?...About Dei-dei.... Sasori? What secrets do they have?"_


	9. Chapter 9

next chapt

this is kinda a cute chappie- cuz next one isnt gonna be so cute- its kinda gonna b sad... except near the end.. but the most of it will be sad.. and it will be longer... maybe about 4 or 5 pages... this chapt is about a page n half.. so... yeah

enjoy!

Disclaimers: i dont own Naruto- i just own Kirimi

000

Kirimi woke up on the couch the next morning, feeling restless.

"_Itachi's... well- its kinda hard to explain... but there's things about Itachi- things about all of you- you don't know. It's nothing personal, against you kid- it's just... us_." Sasori's words rang in her head, and she stared at the floor.

"_What secrets could they possibly have?" _Kirimi thought for probably the millionth time since she had spoken with Sasori," _I've known them for a little while now... They've been nothing but nice to me... well- Hi-chan was a little mean at the beginning but... Now we're on good terms... Could his secret be that he cant die? And what about Sasori's- is it that he hides in a puppet all the time? And Dei-dei's... something about his clay? But what about Papa and Mama... and Itachi, Kisame, Zetsu, and Tobi... What are they hiding_?"

"Something bothering you kid?" Kirimi looked over into the kitchen and saw Kakuzu sitting at the table, counting money.

"No- just cant sleep," she responded, getting up off the couch and joining him at the table. Quietly, she watched him count everything he had- and just as he finished, Konan and Pein walked into the kitchen- Itachi behind them.

"Well- you two are both up early."

"I couldn't sleep," Kirimi told Konan.

"And Dumb ass decided to do an early ritual- so i decided to do this now."

"Kakuzu- watch it," Kirimi warned, staring at him, frowning.

"What- you gonna start kicking me too?"

"If you start copying after Hi-chan, yeah." They stared at each other for a few minutes then Kakuzu sighed.

"What ever you say kid." He stood up after gathering all his cash and left the room momentarily. Kirimi sat there, looking at each person who came into the room- trying to figure out what each one could possibly have as a secret.

0000

"Alright- everyone gather up." Pein's voice alerted Kirimi that something was happening, and she began listening from her place on the couch in the living room. Everyone else sat in the kitchen.

"We're going to resume our missions- searching for our objectives. Tobi and Zetsu have already been out for about two months- and i believe we all should set out and do our part."

_"Set out...?" _Kirimi thought.

"What about shortie?" Sasori asked quietly.

"She'll stay here- its best for her... Zetsu should be able to check every now and then on her- to make sure she's alright."

"Ok."

"Anyway- everyone set out within an hour."

"_An hour?" _Kirimi thought, her eyes widening. Footsteps sounded, and soon Pein was standing beside the couch looking down at her.

"Kirimi- listen to me. I know you heard that in there- so i want you to promise me some things," Pein said, and Kirimi nodded- he continued," Promise me you wont leave this cave. Promise me you wont get into trouble. Promise me you wont destroy the hideout. Promise me you wont go in any rooms that you know are forbidden."

"I promise," Kirimi said solemnly, nodding.

"Good. Now- go say bye to those leaving." Kirimi nodded and jumped up off the couch and towards the door. Hidan and Kakuzu stood there.

"Come back safe Hi-chan?" Kirimi asked him, looking up at him with big, bright green eyes.

"Uh... yeah- sure..." Hidan said, not knowing what else to say to that look.

"And you too Kakuzu-san!" He only nodded in response- and with that- they walked out of the cave. After ten steps, Hidan turned around and looked back at the young girl, standing in the doorway. He thought of the necklace she had made for him, and a soft smile came to his lips- then he turned back around.

"Kakuzu- wait the fuck up! Don't you dare leave me behind you bastard!" Kirimi frowned when he began using those bad words of his- but let him be- as Konan and Pein came up next.

"Be good- and try learning some more, 'kay?" Konan asked her.

"Okay mama!" Kirimi nodded enthusiastically, smiling. With that, they left- and were gone from sight in the blink of an eye. Deidara and Sasori came to the entrance shortly after, and Kirimi saw that Sasori was using Hiroku- his puppet body.

"I'm not saying goodbye to you while your in there Ori," Kirimi refused- and then jumped up into Deidara's arms, catching him by surprise and knocking him over.

"Come back safe Dei-dei!" Kirimi smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Turning around, she saw that Hiroku's top shell was off, and Sasori was leaning on an elbow, watching the whole fiasco. She skipped over and gave him a kiss on the cheek as well, and giggled.

"Come back safe Danna!"

"We will," Sasori said, closing himself up back in Hiroku, as Deidara stood up. They walked out of the cave, and Kirimi leaned against the wall, waiting for the last team that was leaving. Soon enough, Kisame and Itachi appeared, walking towards her.

"Remember what i taught you kid- and keep practicing," Kisame told her, ruffling her hair- causing her to giggle.

"I will Kisame-sensei!" That bit threw him slightly off- but he still smiled slightly. Itachi stood there, silently behind Kisame, staring straight ahead. When Kirimi looked over at him, her smile faltered, and she became sad once more

"_He seems to still be distancing himself... ignoring me..." Kirimi thought sadly, her bottom lip trembling. Kisame thought it was because of the fact Itachi was the first one she took to- and he decided to walk outside and leave them alone. Kirimi was aware of Kisame walking away, and was soon alone with Itachi. _

_"Ita...?"_

_"Hmm?" he asked._

_"Come back safely?" she asked him softly, her eyes watering. He looked over at her and kneeled down. His sharigan appeared and he looked around. Nothing out of the ordinary- and so he drew her in for a hug, taking her by surprise. She threw her arms around his neck and held onto him tightly. While he was hugging her, he slipped a piece of paper into her pocket- and whispered to her._

_"Stay safe Kirimi- if you ever feel unsafe- do as your heart tells you too. Read the paper when your in the bathroom- no other place. Tell no one of its contents, got it kid?" _

_"M-hmm," she nodded, and he stood up. _

_"Home is where there are people who care about you- and as long as a person has someone who cares about them, they always have a home."_

_"I'll always care about you Itachi," Kirimi smiled._

_"Thank you... Kirimi." With that- he walked out of the cave and joined Kisame. After twenty or so feet, he looked back at Kirimi, who stood in the entrance. She waved to him, tears trickling down her face- but a soft smile was also there. Itachi softly smiled back, and then turned and continued walking away. _


	10. Chapter 10

_Sorry its been a while since i updated.. kinda got a lil block... and all.. but i ish back!_  
_enjoy!_

_age: Kirimi 7 - Sasuke 11 - Itachi 16_

_Disclaimers: I dont own Naruto- i dont own any characters - Just lil Kirimi!_

oOoooOoOOo

Kirimi stood there for hours, long after Itachi had disappeared from sight. She hadn't stopped crying until about an hour after he had left- and now, she was just standing there; thinking. Finally, she returned to her senses, as her stomach growled. Walking back into the cave, she walked through the eerily quiet hall, and into the kitchen. Konan had stocked up on different flavors of instant ramen before they left, and had taught Kirimi the basics on cooking. At the time, Kirimi had thought it was bonding- but now the eight year old realized that Konan must have seen this a possibility; Kirimi being left alone. Heating the water, Kirimi picked out one of the packages and waited for the boiling to begin. Then, after that, mixed the two together- and waited. She hated this part, and always got impatient; so, she walked into the living room and picked up a book that Kisame had left for her.  
"Chakra control..." Kirimi read softly, skimming the page. Then she set it aside boredly, and looked around. Another book caught her attention.  
"High-damage Jutsu's," Kirimi read, after dusting the cover off; she looked at it, her curiosity beginning to draw her to the book; finally, she shrugged, saying," Couldn't hurt." Laying down on the ground, she opened the book and began reading.

oOoOoO

When she came to the last page of the water element jutsu, Kirimi smiled. All forty pages had been very helpful, then she heard the grumbling of her stomach and her eyes widened. She ran into the kitchen and grabbed for the ramen cup.  
"Still warm- but just barely," she smiled, and began eating. Never before had she been so hungry- or was it just because she was alone? After finishing the cup of ramen, she began doing some jutsu-exercizing; chakra control mostly- since thats what Kisame said she needed to work on most.  
"_Without the control of chakra- you cant do anything_," Kisame's voice rang in her mind," _Samehada is very excited- you must have a lot of chakra for someone your size. Thats a good thing- but having a lot of chakra is harder to control._"  
"A lot of chakra huh?" Kirimi mumbled to herself," Well- I'll just show you then sensei- i'll learn to master my chakra control long before you come back! Just you wait..."

oOoOoO

Kirimi blinked her eyes open, and looked around. It was pitch black- and she realized she had fallen asleep.  
"Guess i exhausted myself," she mumbled, stretching and looking around. Standing up, she put the book back- all the while being watched, unknown to her. Walking into the bathroom- she remembered the note that Itachi had given her.  
"_Why only read it in here_?" she thought, but shrugged,''_ Itachi knows what he's doing- so I wont question him_." Reaching into her pocket- she unfolded it, and began reading.

**Kirimi  
****There's things about all of us... that you dont know.  
If i know you like i do- i know what will happen... and i accept that.**  
**It's what you want to do- and as long as you feel safe- im happy.  
If ever you felt unsafe around us- i wouldn't know what to do.  
There's secrets about yourself that you don't know... secrets that hopefully you will figure out for yourself...  
I knew from when i first saw you... and thats why I've been there for you.  
You remind me so much of my younger brother.. i hope someday you will meet him-  
he'll know what i mean by secrets... the past- he'll recognize you as well.  
Yes- i know where you're home truly is... i know where you're from... I know who you truly are.**  
**If you want to find out for yourself- go into the forbidden room at 1 in the morning...  
and do what you think you need to do...  
follow your heart... follow your gut... follow your instincts...  
Do as you want Kirimi- thats all i ask of you.**  
**-Itachi **

"_What does this mean_?" Kirimi thought; she didn't know what to do.  
_"..Go into the forbidden room at 1 in the morning..." _Looking up at the clock- Kirimi saw it was 12:30- just past midnight. Quickly- she went to the bathroom- and before she left the room- she put the note back in her pocket. Then, she walked into the kitchen and pulled out a snack. Eating slowly, she tried to pass the time- but it was only 12:45 when she finished. So, she walked down the hallway and looked into each room- imagining each of the akatsuki in them. Dei with his clay... Sasori working on puppets... Hi-chan doing a ritual... Kakuzu counting money... Konan folding papers... Pein reading papers...Tobi jumping on his bed... Zetsu arguing with himself... Kisame fixing his sword... Itachi staring off into space...  
"_Why did he do that_?" Kirimi thought, then remembered," _Ita said he had a brother... maybe he was thinking of him?... But why isn't Ita's brother here with him? Did something happen to him_?" Walking back into the kitchen, Kirimi saw it was 12:54, and she sighed. Then decided to skim a little in a book.  
"_Chakra control uses up energy... if not performed correctly... Ninjutsu is... Genjutsu and Taijutsu..." _Looking up briefly- she saw the clock: 12:59. Quickly, she jumped up, put the book back and walked down the main hall- where the one forbidden room was. Stopping outside the door to Pein's office, Kirimi swallowed softly. "_This isn't a test... is it?" _Kirimi thought,"_ Ita wouldn't get me into trouble... would he_?" Shaking her head, Kirimi opened the door and stepped in. As she put a foot in- the room lit up. Freezing in mid-step, she looked around, and then calmed herself down.  
_'' Ita wouldn't- he'd never do that... he's always protected me... he wouldn't put me in harms way..." _Kirimi thought, and then confidently strolled into the room towards the desk. Stopping on the side closest to the door, she looked at the desk blankly.  
"_Why'd Ita tell me to come in here_?" Kirimi thought.  
_"... and do what you think you need to do... follow your heart... follow your gut.. follow your instinct..." _Her instinct was telling her she shouldn't be in there- that Pein would discipline her if he found her there. But- her gut was telling her to trust Itachi- and her heart... she didn't know what her heart was telling her. So- carefully... slowly... She walked around the desk and reached out her hand towards a draw on the top- but stopped and saw another draw- slightly open; a piece of paper was sticking out. Walking over to the other side of the desk, Kirimi reached out her hand and put it on the cold metal knob. Swallowing softly, Kirimi closed her eyes and opened the draw slowly. Nothing happened. No sudden alarm. No appearance of Pein- as he had before when she had disobeyed small orders. Nothing. Nodding slightly to herself, Kirimi looked down and saw a folder.  
"_Open it_," her gut told her.  
"_Run! Leave it be- and get out of here_!" her instinct argued.  
"_Trust Ita_." Her heart won the battle- as well as her gut- and she picked up the folder. Climbing into Pein's chair, she set the folder down and opened it. Without thinking- she began pulling papers out and putting them all over the desk- not in any order. Then she began reading.

oOoOoO

Itachi looked out over the waters surface, just staring into space- his mind wandering back to the cave. Judging by the darkness in the sky- it was after midnight.  
"_Did Kirimi read the note? Is she doing as i asked her? Or... has she fled already?" _Itachi thought, his face becoming grim," _It wasnt what i wanted... i dont want her to fear me... but she must know who she calls family- aren't who she thinks they are. Kirimi thinks of us as caring... loving... But they are just the opposite. Evil... murderers... criminals... cold hearted. And I have to stay here... for Sasuke... for Kirimi. I hope that maybe... someday..." _Itachi looked up at the dark sky, as a lightning bolt lit it," _''that they can both forgive me for what I've done_."  
"Come on- time to get a move on," Kisame said, breaking the silence.  
"Kisame... do you think she's doing alright?" Itachi asked, not looking at his partner.  
"Uh... yeah... she was on her own before we found her for who knows how long. The pipsqueak should be doing just fine."  
"_I know how long... almost three years she was on her own. Her mother left Konoha when she was just two...word of her mothers death reached us not even a year later... and we found her when she was five... It's true she has been on her own for a long time.. but maybe its time she had someone to be there for her.. not ever leave her... Forgive me... Kirimi," _Itachi thought- then stood up and nodded. With that, he and Kisame continued their travels.

oOoOoO

Kirimi stared at the papers from her viewpoint. She was standing on the chair; her green eyes were wide with disbelief.  
_"... wanted for murder of entire clan... wanted for questioning of the murder of... wanted for murder of..."_ Every single person she knew.. she was living with in this cave..  
".. Their all murderers?" she managed to choke out," No.. there must be some mistake..."  
"_There's things about all of us... that you dont know... Do as you want Kirimi- that is all i ask of you..."_ Itachi's final words in his letter now made sense. He had been telling her this.. he was trying to lessen the blow... Now- Kirimi understood why he had been distancing himself these past weeks.  
"He murdered his entire clan- except his younger brother..." Kirimi said, looking at the paper that had Itachi's name- rank- criminal record- and where he was from on it. Her eyes watered with tears- but she held them back.  
"Hi-chan... he used that ritual of his... to... to..." Kirimi continued looking at his paper.  
"Dei-dei... he... and his clay... they... also..." Kirimi clenched her fists and swallowed the lump in her throat.  
"NOOOOOOOOO!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, swinging her arm- causing all the papers to fly off the desk and messily land on the floor around her. The tears were now wetting her face, and she couldnt stop no matter how much she wanted to.  
"_Konoha... It's where Itachi's from... he said he knew where i was from... is it possible.. thats where I'm from as well?" _Kirimi thought. At this point- her gut, heart and instinct all agreed on one thing.  
"_Run- get away from here. Find your real home." _With that- she jumped down off the chair and raced out of the cave without a single look back. -

oOoOoO

As he walked, Itachi suddenly felt a very bad feeling; as he felt this- it began raining. Looking up from the path, Itachi realized what this feeling was.  
"_I will miss you... Kirimi. Thank you- for following your heart- gut- and instinct. I hope you will be fine... and you can find it in your heart... someday.. to forgive me_." Itachi thought sadly, but then when he realized Kisame was impatiently waiting, he tilted his head back down and continued on his way.

oOoOoO

Kirimi ran in the cold, rainy night until she could no longer run-and fell to the ground. The mud made running hard, as it stuck to her legs, and made her feet heavy. She wasnt that great at speed yet- but the faster she went, the more mud clung to her. Frowning, Kirimi looked around- the spotted the answer. She jumped up into the trees and began jumping from tree to tree- but she didn't think about the splippery-ness- and fell only about twenty feet. Landing in a huge pile of mud, it clung to her and she couldnt move. Her muscles were tired, and all she wanted to do was curl up somewhere and die. For a good two years- she had lived with Itachi, Konan, Tobi and the rest of them... and all that time- they had kept that secret from her. Itachi's image appeared in her mind, and she began crying, shaking uncontrollably. Kirimi couldnt help it; she felt confused, abandon, hurt, deceived... she didn't know what to do. And to top it all off- she didn't have the slightest clue of what direction Konoha was in. Her eyes felt suddenly heavy, and before she knew it- she was in a deep sleep.

oOoOoO

"Pein."  
"Yes Zetsu- what is it?"  
"Kirimi." That one word- got the immediate attention of Konan, Pein- and the third figure in the room.  
"What about her?" Pein asked.  
"She's gone."  
"Gone?" Konan asked, shocked.  
"I just went to check on her- because you told us to check every four hours. I check at midnight- and now, at four am- she was no where to be found."  
"Anything out of the ordinary?" Pein asked.  
"Yes- your office was a slight mess. All the papers concerning the Akatsuki were strewn about the floor in disarray. Seems she found out about us."  
"The Brat!" the third party exclaimed, slamming his hand onto the table.  
"Shall we search for her?" Zetsu asked Pein; Pein looked at the third figure.  
"Well- what do you think Madara?"  
"Zetsu and I will be the primary search team- just keep an eye out while you two are out. We'll go let the other teams know."  
"Very well." With that, Madara walked into the light, putting on his mask.  
"Let us go- Zetsu."  
"Very well- Tobi," Zetsu inclined. With that- they were gone.  
"Pein..."  
"I know... lets go to the cave, erase all signs of us." Konan nodded- and they took off.

oOoOoO

Kirimi was still asleep- and the sun was coming up from the horizon. The mud around her had dried, and now- she was stuck. She tried to loosen herself- but it didn't work. "Crap," she dead-panned- then heard something.  
"_Oh no... is it.. them? Are they already looking for me_?" Kirimi frantically thought, and stayed dead-still. The footsteps got closer and closer- until... nothing. Taking a small, soft breath- Kirimi tried to listen- but it seemed as either they stopped- or she was imagining things.  
"Who are you?" someone demanded from her blind spot- and suddenly, not only was the mud holding her down- but so was wooden pillars. "Let me go!" Kirimi screamed frantically- but her efforts didnt matter- she was stuck either way.  
"Who are you?" the masked guy asked again. Then- as she got a good look at him- she saw his headband.  
"Are you from Konoha?" she asked, her eyes wide- but he stayed silent- so she bargained with him," I'll answer... three questions of yours- if you answer... at least two of mine." He seemed to think that through- then he answered.  
"Very well- one at a time."  
"Okay- are you from Konoha?"  
"Yes- who are you?"  
"My name's Kirimi - can you take me to Konoha?"  
"Why?  
"Because- i received a hint... that i might be from there. I dont remember where im from... so im searching for my home."  
"Fine." Kirimi continued looking at him, and then spoke.  
"You have one more question." "Oh... uhm..." he said, scratching the back of his head," uhm... i'll think of one on our way. Shall we?"  
"Ok... uhm... actually..  
"What?"  
"I'm stuck... the mud..."  
"Oh- no problem." With that- the wooden pillars raised Kirimi up and out of the mud. "Wow... are you wood style?"  
"Yeah."  
"Wow... the people i stayed with for two years said that they had only came across very few wood-style users- its like a 5 in 500 chance of coming across that."  
"Yeah- im a... special case... you could say," the guy said, as they walked.  
"Oh- ok... may i ask your name?"  
"Uhm... i dont see what it could hurt... but maybe- once we've spoken to Lord Hokage.. then if he says I can- i will."  
"Alright," Kirimi smiled.

oOoOoO

Not that long later, they arrived at the gates. "This is Konoha?" Kirimi asked in awe.  
"Yep- stick close to me please." Kirimi nodded and stayed always exactly a foot behind the guy. Through the village streets; past curious eyes; up steps; down a hall and to a door- they finally stopped- and the guy knocked.  
"Lord Hokage?"  
"Yes?" With that, he opened the door and gestured for her to go first.  
"I found her on a patrol- she claims she doesn't remember where she's from- and she's searching. And got a hint it might be here."  
"Oh really?" Sandaime said, and turned away from the window. When he saw her, he couldnt believe his eyes.  
"What's your name child?"  
"Kirimi." Now he knew he must be seeing a ghost.  
"Thank you Tenzou."  
"Tenzou! Nice to meet you!" Kirimi smiled.  
"As it is you," Tenzou said, smiling slightly beneath his mask.  
"You may go now Tenzou- and tell my son I'd like to see him- immediately."  
"Of course Lord Hokage." In a puff of smoke, he was gone. Kirimi's eyes started itching and watering, and she raised her hands and began rubbing them. "Child- may i see your eyes?"  
"Sure... i dont know why their watering so much lately..." Kirimi said, and lowered her hands.  
"Oh... my..." Sandaime said, shocked. The door opened slightly.  
"I was told you wanted to see-..." Kirimi turned and looked at the guy in the door.  
"It... cant... be... Is she-?"  
"Yes- Asuma- this is Kirimi."  
"Do you guys know me?" Kirimi exclaimed.  
"Yes- we do," Sandaime nodded.  
"I'm your father," Asuma told her, holding onto the door for some support," But i haven't seen you in almost seven years.


	11. Chapter 11

_Six freakn pages long. I hope you'll all be satisfied with this chapter. _

_Its so freakn KAWAII- im not even kidding! Kirimi Has got to be- HANDS DOWN- my Favorite OC EVER! I LOVE HER!_

_Kirimi: I love you too Night-chan!_

_Night-chan: AWWW *glomp-hugs*_

_Sasuke: -clears throat-_

_Night-chan: oh yeah -sweatdrops- _

_Anyway- this is just an overal Kawaii chapter. Please enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto- just Kirimi!_

* * *

Kirimi looked at the man standing behind her; she was slightly confused, and shook her head slightly.

"You're... my father? But- i already have- had a papa... and you two look nothing alike," Kirimi said; Asuma chuckled softly.

"Well- in that case, do you look more like me- or him?"

"Uh..." Kirimi said softly, thinking," You." Asuma nodded, then looked back at Sandaime.

"How?"

"Tenzou found her on patrol- said she was looking for her real home."

"I got a hint from... a person I once knew... that it would be here," Kirimi told Asuma. For some reason, she just couldnt turn on Itachi.

"_Kirimi- if anyone ever comes across you- and we're not around, you have to keep us a secret, 'kay_?" Konan's voice rang through Kirimi's mind. She still cared about them- because through the years- they had been nice to her.

_"I'm only returning the favor_," Kirimi told herself, then looked up at Asuma, and said," If you're my dad- where's my mom?" Asuma looked a little lost at that.

"Uh.. well... When you were about two years old- your mother left Konoha, and took you with her... and not even a year after that, we found out... that she had been killed... and those who knew of you... assumed that you had also been killed along side her..." Asuma explained.

"Oh..." Kirimi said, softly, sadly- then asked," What family do I have left here?"

"Just three...no- four people. Myself, my dad- Sandaime Hokage- Konohamaru - your cousin, and your other cousin, Sasuke. You'd have more on your mothers side... but back a few years ago- the clan was assassinated by a single person.

"_Itachi_," Kirimi thought, her eyes wide; then she said," Oh...okay.. can i meet my two cousins?"

"Uhm..." Asuma looked up at Sandaime, lost. He didnt really know what to do- to find out she was alive, and all of a sudden have her back in his life... it was all a big shock and he was confused.

"Of course. Asuma- show her around as you do so- she needs to know her village." Asuma nodded, and then looked back at Kirimi and blinked.

"Her... eyes..."

"Yeah... there's nothing that can be done about that... ask Kakashi about it." Asuma nodded again, and then turned towards the door.

"Come along, i'll show you around."

"Okay!" Kirimi smiled, and followed.

Kirimi followed along side her father, as he showed her around the village... her village.

"Ramen shop.. weapon shop... flower shop... food...restaurant... ninja academy is that way... memorials down that path..." Asuma pointed out each place as they passed.

"Ninja academy?"

"Yepp- where kids who wish to become kunoichi or Shinobi." Kirimi's eyes widened and she turned to where she was in front of him. He stopped and saw her wide, once-again green eyes, and couldnt help but allow a smile.

"I wanna go there! I wanna be a kunoichi!" Kirimi exclaimed," PLEASE!"

"Okay- Okay!" Asuma laughed- "I'll talk to Iruka after we find your Sasuke and Konohama-" As he was speaking, a shout came from down the road. Both Kirimi and Asuma looked down and saw two people running. One brown hair boy- and an older man, dressed in all black with circular black glasses.

"Get back here Konohamaru!" the guy yelled, chasing the boy. Kirimi tilted her head, and watched, as the boy- Konohamaru- just laughed and kept running. As they neared, Kirimi shrugged- and just as Konohamaru got even with her, she stuck out her leg. Promptly, he didnt see it, and tripped; rolling a few times he stopped with a thud on the ground several feet from Kirimi and Asuma. The guy who was chasing him caught him and held tight.

"Thank you-"

"Who do you think you are?" Konohamaru yelled at her- she just stared at him.

"Might as well- Ebisu, Konohamaru. This is Kirimi- my daughter." Ebisu's jaw dropped and Konohamaru's eyes widened.

"WHAT?" Konohamaru exclaimed, still fighting against Ebisu's grip- who soon recovered himself.

"Might I ask- how?"

"About seven years ago- she was born. I believe everyone remembers how I was back then?" Asuma asked Ebisu, who nodded- so Asuma continued," Well, to get on the nerves of mostly my father- i joined the Lord of the Fire Country, but I also got together for a night with... well.. an Uchiha- who also wanted to go against her parents."

"U- Uchiha?" Ebisu asked, shocked.

"Yeah. She left the village when Kirimi was two- and somehow, Kirimi survived on her own all this time- and now, here she is."

"Well- thats... good," Ebisu said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose," Well- thank you Kirimi- for helping me catch Sandaime's Grandson. We must be going though." Asuma nodded and Ebisu dragged Konohamaru away, and so Kirimi and Asuma continued.

"So that was one of my cousins?"

"Yeah," Asuma nodded, rubbing the back of his head, smiling slightly. As we walked, Kirimi looked around at all the places. Then, suddenly-

"NARUTO, YOU IDIOT!" Following that- a loud crashing noise; Kirimi winced and looked over at her father, who shook his head, a soft smile on his face.

"This way," he told her, and she nodded, following. They soon came across four people. One blonde boy, who was on the ground- surely seeing stars. A Pinkette, who was absolutly seething- staring at the blonde with malicious intent. A white-haired older guy, who was shocked- yet it seemed as though he saw that coming. Then Kirimi's eyes landed on the final person. A black-haired boy, who looked completely bored.

"_Itachi's... brother_?" Kirimi thought, her eyes slightly wide.

"Sasuke- I'd like to introduce you to someone," Kirimi heard her father say- but was transfixed on the boy, who walked closer. Sakura, Naruto- who had recovered- and Kakashi all came over as well.

"Sasuke Uchiha- this is Kirimi Uchiha-Sarutobi," Asuma introduced," Your younger cousin." Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief.

"But- no... he..."

"She and her mother- your aunt- left the village, when Kirimi was only two. So she survived the massacre." Sasuke still looked like he was in disbelief; Naruto looked confused; Sakura was looking back and forth between Kirimi and Sasuke. Kakashi was surprised, but smiled none-the-less, when Kirimi looked up at him, and she smiled back.

"Kakashi- when the both of us get a chance- I need to speak with you about something," Asuma said, and Kakashi nodded.

"Do you always hit guys like that?" Kirimi asked Sakura, who was surprised to be asked that.

"Uhm... no.. not really. Just Naruto- he's special," Sakura told Kirimi, with a deadly glare at said shinobi.

"Special?" Naruto beamed, completely oblivious to the glare. Kirimi sweat-dropped, then turned back to Sasuke.

"I hope we can get to know one another," Kirimi smiled.

"Uh... yeah... sure..." Sasuke turned to walk away, but felt something tug on his shirt. He turned his head, and saw Kirimi, latched onto his shirt. She looked shyly up at him.

"Is... would it be okay... if I stayed with you for a little while?" She had suddenly had a small panic attack; in her mind, when he turned to walk away- she saw Itachi, when he left the cave. Seeing Itachi, made her almost homesick- but that wasnt her home- but she still missed Itachi- very badly.

"Uh... sure..." Sasuke said, with a slight blush on his face. She smiled softly up at him, and as they walked away, she looked back at Asuma and waved. He stood there, shrugged, smiling, and walked the opposite way.

o0o0o0o0o

Everyone was gathered back at a different cave hide-out of theirs.

"Kirimi found out- and has left. Now- she has either came across some one, is either still out there, or is dead. If she came across someone- she either told them of us- or hasn't. Either way- our connections with her- are gone. If you see her again, and she wants to come back- she is not allowed. And- if so it be- you fight her, and either wound her, or kill her." Everyone was quiet; each secretly in their own grief.

"_I cant believe she's gone... i was growing so attached to her_." - Konan

"_She was a quick learner... I was looking forward to her jutsu's_." - Kisame

"_She could handle the clay... I cant... why'd she go into his office_?" - Deidara

"_Her puppetry was going along great... She would've soon created her own puppet._" - Sasori

"_She would've fetched a good price... but I got attached to her... and couldnt do that_." - Zetsu

"_She could have come in handy with getting my bounties..._." - Kakuzu

"_She grew on me... and made me a necklace... i cant believe this shit.._." - Hidan

"_She was growing on me... but whats done is done..._" - Pein

"_She's gone... its good- but i kind of miss her..._" - Tobi/Madara

"_Kirimi... I hope you're doing alright..._" - Itachi

Pein cleared his throat, and everyone looked over at him.

"We're to all forget about her. Now- resume your missions and handle your respective Jinjurikki's." With that, Pein stood up, and left- followed by Konan. Itachi watched him go out of the corner of his eye.

"_She...her...she...her... only once did he use Kirimi's name..._" Itachi thought bitterly. Sighing softly, he stood up; he and Kisame left next. Hidan stood there, one of his hands inside his cloak, resting inside the inside pocket. The necklace Kirimi had made him was there, and as he held it in his hand, he let out a deep breath. With-drawing his hand, he grabbed his scythe.

"Kakuzu, lets get the fuck out of here and get on with our mission." Kakuzu nodded, and the two of them left. Zetsu left with a silent Tobi, leaving Sasori and Deidara last. The two of them looked over at each other, not in hostility or in a challenging way- but in a sad, depressed way.

"To be honest- I cant forget about Kirimi... she grew on me..." Deidara told his partner.

"I feel the same way..." Sasori said softly, then sighed, and continued," But Pein is right. We must move past this, and get on with our missions."

"Yeah..." Deidara nodded. As the two of them left the cave- both thought the same thought.

"_I may continue the mission- but I'll Never forget about Kirimi._"

o0o0o0o0o0o

Kirimi watched as team 7 practiced, and looked periodically at Kakashi, curiously trying to figure out what book he was reading. Finally, Kirimi stood up and walked over to him.

"Kakashi-sensei.. what book are you reading?" she asked him, and he jumped slightly.

"Uhmmm... nothing," Kakashi said uncertainly, putting away the book. Kirimi looked at him curiously, but shrugged, and turned back to watching Sasuke. Ever since she had found him- she had clung to him- as she had to Itachi... At the time, she hadnt known that he was her cousin... wasnt he? Itachi and Sasuke looked a lot alike in some ways... and their the only two remaining Uchiha's- besides herself... and the only reason Kirimi could think of that Itachi had spared Sasuke, was because he cared for him, like an older brother. Curiously, she turned back to Kakashi, and sat down in front of him.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hmm?"

"Does- or did- Sasuke have any siblings?"

"Oh... well, yes he did. The one who massacred the clan... his name was Itachi. No one knows why he left Sasuke alive..."

"_Itachi... he is my cousin..._" Kirimi thought, looking down at the ground," _that explains why he was always so nice to me... his last letter to me...'I knew from when i first saw you... and thats why I've been there for you'... Ita knew who I was all along..._" Tears lined her eyes, and fell from her face, landing on her knees.

"_Oh no,_" Kakashi thought,"_ I went and made her cry... great..._" Kakashi leaned towards her, and softly lifted her chin- then brushed away the tears.

"It's alright- no one could have done anything about it. But- you have Sasuke, so you arent alone- and neither is he. You also have Konohamaru, Sandaime, and Asuma," Kakashi said, trying to cheer her up.

"Yeah..." Kirimi sniffed, nodding. She dried the remaining tears, and smiled up at him," Thank you Kakashi-sensei!" She jumped up and ran towards Sasuke, who was caught off guard, as she tackled him to the ground. Kirimi leaned up and kissed him on the cheek- then got up and skipped off.

"Bye bye Sasu-chan!" she called behind her. Sasuke leaned up off the ground, a soft blush on his face, his hand on the place Kirimi had kissed. He shook his head and stood up, and continued on with his training.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Itachi and Kisame walked along in silence, Itachi staring straight ahead, expressionless; Kisame would look over at him every now and then. Though, Itachi didnt even realize- because he was in his own little world.

"_I hope Kirimi's doing alright... I wonder if she's reached Konoha... Perhaps there's a way to find out?... I can't risk anything though... I'll think of something... I __need__ to know she's safe... back where she belongs..._" Even though he was in his own world, Itachi still knew when to move, so he wouldn't hit a tree or trip over a rock. Kisame shook his head, and sighed.

"_Itachi's one hell of a guy- doesn't even seem worried about shortie._"

o0o00o0o0o0

Kirimi skipped around town- and finally, up ahead, she saw Asuma. Running, she tackled into him- but didn't have enough force to knock him over- instead, she ended up falling backwards, and landing on her butt.

"You alright?" Asuma asked her, and she smiled up at him.

"Yepp!" Standing up, she looked at the woman beside her father. The lady was very pretty, in Kirimi's book. Though- the only other woman Kirimi knew was her mama- Konan.

"Kurenai- this is Kirimi."

"Oh, hello," Kurenai smiled.

"Nice to meet you," Kirimi smiled back.

"Well- I've actually got to be going. Team's waiting," Asuma told Kurenai, who nodded.

"Same here, though my students seem to get along... yours... they seem a little on edge..."

"Yeah..." Asuma sighed, smiling sheepishly.

"Can I come?" Kirimi asked excitedly.

"Sure," Asuma shrugged, and Kirimi smiled up at him.

"She smiles a lot..." Kurenai thought as she walked away.

"This way- and I warn you... dont make fun of any of them... especially Choji..."

"Okay! Why would I?"

"He's.. on the chubby side."

"Ohhh." Silence followed, as they walked back the way Kirimi had came- except they took one turn, which brought them to some steps. After walking up most of them, Kirimi saw a girl- but the thing that caught Kirimi's attention- was the long blonde hair.

"Oh my gosh!" Kirimi exclaimed, and ducked under the railing, and ran towards Ino. Asuma watched in amusement.

"You're hair is super pret-!" Kirimi exclaimed, but promptly tripped over something, landing with a thud on the ground, face-planting. Asuma shook his head, and headed over.

"Are you alright?" Ino asked, bending over. Kirimi's head popped up, and she beamed.

"Yepp!" Kirimi looked behind her, and saw a boy lazing on the ground- underneath her legs.

"Why are you laying on the ground?"

"-"

"Because he wants to be tripped over," Ino interrupted Shikamaru, smiling evilly. Shikamaru sighed, rolling his eyes, and sat up- as Kirimi slid her legs off him.

"Shikamaru, Ino,Choji- this is Kirimi, my daughter." Ino's jaw dropped, Choji looked dumbfounded at Kirimi- Shikamaru looked as though he was studying her.

"Hi!" Kirimi exclaimed, then jumped back up and went over to Ino.

"Anyway- like i was saying- Your hair is very pretty," Kirimi said, then reached out her hand and touched the ponytail part; giggling, Kirimi continued," and very soft!"

"Uhm... thanks...?" Ino said, uncertainly.

"Well- sorry Kirimi, but we've got to get going. A mission has been assigned to us," Asuma told her.

"Aw, okay," Kirimi said sadly, as Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji all stood up.

"Behave yourself," Asuma said, as he walked away.

"I will!" The team began following her father, but Kirimi reached out and softly grabbed Shikamaru's hand.

"Why do you lay on the ground?" she asked him, wondering if Ino's opinion was right.

"Because..." Shikamaru said.

"Because...?" Kirimi questioned, and Shikamaru sighed.

"Because it's relaxing and non-bothersome to watch the clouds."

"Oh, okay!" Satisfied with the answer, Kirimi released Shikamaru's hand, and watched the four of them leave, until they were finally out of sight. Eyeing the place where Shikamaru had laid, Kirimi shrugged, and plopped down in his place; laying down, she watched the clouds, and found herself having fun- pointing out different shapes the clouds had. Bunnies... dogs... kunai... but when one looked like Itachi- she sat up quickly, and swallowed back the tears. Standing up, she decided to go find Kakashi or Kurenai, so they could finish the tour- or introduce her to more people.


	12. Chapter 12

Bahahaahaha- 2nd chapter upload tonight! -smiles-  
So yeah, hope you all enjoy this. I've had it stored on my computer for a few days now, so im just gonna upload it with the other im uploading (see Akatsuki Apprentices)

Thank you to those who reviewed!  
ITACHi's girl 1 - Narutogirl41 - Angelfang ( ) - LookOutShe'sGotAPen - and AnneMayLover

Disclaimers: I dont own Naruto- but i do own Kirimi.  
WARNING: this chapter will become VERY sad. You might need a tissue... or two... or a box.

* * *

Previously on Promise of a Lifetime:

"Behave yourself," Asuma said, as he walked away.

"I will!" The team began following her father, but Kirimi reached out and softly grabbed Shikamaru's hand.

"Why do you lay on the ground?" she asked him, wondering if Ino's opinion was right.

"Because..." Shikamaru said.

"Because...?" Kirimi questioned, and Shikamaru sighed.

"Because it's relaxing and non-bothersome to watch the clouds."

"Oh, okay!" Satisfied with the answer, Kirimi released Shikamaru's hand, and watched the four of them leave, until they were finally out of sight. Eyeing the place where Shikamaru had laid, Kirimi shrugged, and plopped down in his place; laying down, she watched the clouds, and found herself having fun- pointing out different shapes the clouds had. Bunnies... dogs... kunai... but when one looked like Itachi- she sat up quickly, and swallowed back the tears. Standing up, she decided to go find Kakashi or Kurenai, so they could finish the tour- or introduce her to more people.

* * *

Roaming the streets, Kirimi tried to find either Kakashi or Kurenai, to continue the tour of the village, but wasnt having any luck. Frowning as she looked around, Kirimi didnt see the person until she bumped into him; the surprise threw her off balance and she began to fall backwards- and she closed her eyes, awaiting the impact of the ground- but it never came. Instead she felt a hand wrap around her back and a hand softly grab her wrist. Kirimi heard a soft sigh come from infront of her, and she opened her eyes to find another pair of eyes looking into hers.

"You okay?" he asked, standing back up- putting her onto her feet.

"Yeah... thanks," Kirimi said sheepishly.

"I've never seen you around here before," the silver-haired ninja said, leaning against the wall, looking down at her through his glasses.

"I just got here not long ago- I'm Kirimi. Kirimi Uchiha-Sarutobi," she smiled up at him," Who are you?"

"Kabuto Yakushi," he said, inclining his head, thinking," _Uchiha and Sarutobi... thats different... i must report this to my lord somehow..."_

"Nice to meet you Kabu-kun," Kirimi smiled- and the nickname kinda stunned him for a bit- and she noticed- so quickly, Kirimi said," If you dont want me to call you that- I wont. I'm sorry, i always-"

"Nah, its okay," Kabuto smiled slyly," Just took me by surprise. Never had anyone call me that before, so..."

"Oh- well now you have!" Kirimi smiled, and a slight smiled came to Kabuto's face.

"_She's something else..." _He thought, then said," Well, i must be off. Nice meeting you Kirimi-san." Kabuto walked away, the evil glint in his eyes not noticable to anyone not looking for it.

"Yeah... bye..." Kirimi said softly, then continued on her way, alone.

"_I'll just look around on my own," _Kirimi thought, and walked around for most of the day. As the sun began to set in the sky, Kirimi came to a part on the end of the village- with a stone path that led to a gate. She recognized the symbol instantly.

"_That's the symbol for Uchiha..." _Kirimi thought, and found herself walking towards the gates. The curiousity was too much for her, and as she opened the gate- she looked around. It was completely deserted. Not a soul around. Not a single person. No warmth. No livliness.

"_It's kind of sad..." _she thought, as she walked through the streets; looking around, a bad feeling engluffed Kirimi. A horrible sensation that brought shivers to her- but still, she didnt turn around and leave. Soon, she came to a wall that had a series of the Uchiha clan symbols, one after the other; following the wall, Kirimi came to one of the symbols that had a crack right in the middle. Raising her hand, she placed it straight on the imperfection and an aching feeling came to her- that made her almost double over. Using the wall for support, Kirimi caught her breath and saw the house straight across from her. Pushing off the wall, she made her way towards the door and peered in. The darkness loomed everywhere, giving an erie look to the place. Dust and dirt everywhere; but she continued on. Looking into every room she passed, Kirimi soon came to a patio and looked down both ways- and decided to go towards the right, towards another door. Pausing just outside, she slowly reached out and placed her hands on the handles. Shivering, she pushed the doors open and just stared inside. Foot after foot, slowly, she made her way in- but didnt go far; her eyes staring at the ground in front of her, she recognized the pattern on the ground. Falling to her knees- the strength in her, all but gone- Kirimi stared at the dried blood on the floor. Tears brimmed her eyes as she thought of what could have gone on in here. Who died in this very room. The person who probably done the killing.

"_Why... why Itachi_?" Kirimi thought, the tears falling from her eyes," _Why did you do this? It doesnt make any sense! This doesnt seem like you- at all! How... How could you do this?" _The tears wouldnt stop falling, and she fell to the floor, curling up in a ball; hugging herself, she tried to stop the tears... but it didnt work. The tears kept coming, and she hugged herself harder, trying to keep the images from flashing through her mind. Itachi... Sasuke... Deidara... Sasori... Konan... Pein... Tobi... Zetsu... Kisame... Hidan... Kakuzu... It all made her cry more and more until she couldnt take it any more and let a soft scream escape her throat. It was hoarse and hurt her throat- but it felt good, so she allowed another scream, but after that, she couldnt stop herself- the screams and tears molded together perfectly.

0o0o0o

Kakashi walked along the streets, after dismissing team 7. The sun was on the verge of disappearing, and as he walked in the streets a sound came to his ears. Stopping, he listened intently. A scream, followed by another- and another- all coming from one direction.

"_Kirimi," _Kakashi thought, and took off- jumping over the rooftops, in the direction of the abandon Uchiha corner. Running as fast as he could, Kakashi wove his way through the abandon streets and came to one of the homes. Following the growing screams, he saw the open door ahead of him and quickly opened it fully. There, on the dirty floor, was a shaking Kirimi, screaming and crying like there was no tomorrow. She was clutching her sides, her head on the floor, the tears falling from her eyes. Kakashi walked the few steps towards her and knelt down. He placed one hand on the young girl and wasnt exactly surprised when she threw herself into his lap- wanting someone to be there... someone to care... to comfort her. He didnt know entirely what she knew, but obviously there was some connection between her and what happened; Kakashi wrapped an arm around the distraut girl and allowed her to cry. Her screaming had stopped by now, her voice completely hoarse. After only a few seconds, she was completely still; Kakashi realized Kirimi had fallen asleep. Carefully, he picked her up, and carried her out of the house; out of the Uchiha compound; and through the streets of Konoha. He didnt know exactly where to take her, so he took her to the hospital- after all, Asuma said she did need to be checked over, after living so long on her own. He walked into the building and up to the main desk.

"1 room please. She hasnt been checked in over 5 years, and needs a check up. At the moment... she's asleep. Probably be asleep for a while," Kakashi said the the medic behind the counter, who nodded and told him to follow her. They came to an empty room, and Kakashi set Kirimi down softly on the bed, and the nurse pulled the blanket back up, covering the sleeping child.

"I'll be right back," the nurse said, and Kakashi nodded. After only a minute, Kakashi was aware of his company.

"She found it?" Sandaime asked, walking up to stand beside Kakashi.

"Yes. Do you know how much she knows?" Kakashi asked.

"No. It seems as though she may know more then she's letting on though. Keep an eye on her Kakashi."

"Yes, Lord Hokage," Kakashi nodded. The both of them watched her, as she slept.

"Did Asuma speak to you of her eyes?"

"He did. She does have the Uchiha blood, so it's to be expected for her to have the Sharigan. She's young though- but other young Uchiha's have come into their power young- Itachi for example."

"True. True," Sandaime agreed. The nurse returned then, and some paperwork was filled out; afterwards the nurse left- leaving Kakashi and the Third alone with Kirimi once more.

"I dont think it be wise to tell Sasuke where you found her. It might open up some of his darker memories that he might not wish to return to," Sandaime told Kakashi," If he is to find out, she'll be the one to tell him."

"If he asks why she was here?"

"Just a check up- to ensure her health." Kakashi nodded, and the Third walked out of the room. Kakashi took one last look and the sleeping child and sighed.

"You are going to have a tough life, Kirimi... I hope you are as strong willed as everyone else in your family... if not... it's going to be even rougher for you to get through." With that, Kakashi walked out of the room and resumed his trek home.

0o0o0o

Kirimi woke up the next morning, her eyes staring at the white ceiling above her. Her throat was killing her, and she had no clue where she was. Sitting up, she recalled where she was last- but this was defintally not the Uchiha compound. Swinging her feet over the side of the bed, Kirimi jumped off the bed, and walked to the window. Opening the glass panel, the wind greeted her in a soft breeze. The morning air was cool to the touch, and made Kirimi feel better. The wind seemed to sweep away the nightmare she had the previous night, and the thoughts that had weighed in her mind when she was at the compound. Taking a deep breath, Kirimi leaned against the window and looked out at the village.

"_Why did Itachi do that... he had all this to live for... he had a family... he had Sasuke... I- i just dont understand..." _Kirimi thought, frowning. Her eyes began burning, and her hands traveled to her eyes, the pain raking through her.

"Gah," Kirimi murmured, stumbling backwards. The tears that fell from her eyes- she didnt know where they came from. Sniffling, she bit back the cry of agony that threatened to escape her throat.

"Good morning sweetie." Kirimi wiped away what tears she could and looked towards the door. Her vision was still blurry- but she could still make out the form of a person standing in the door.

"Everything okay?"

"Y-Yeah," Kirimi nodded, as her vision began to slowly clear.

"I'm Yumi- and I'm here to give you your check up- to ensure you're completely healthy. As soon as we finish up, you are free to leave- okay?" Yumi said, in a cheerful voice.

"Okay," Kirimi nodded, and sat down on the bed.

0o0o0o

About twenty minutes later, Kirimi walked through the doors of the hospital and onto the streets of Konoha. She was staring at the ground the whole time, and just let her feet do the thinking- not caring where she went, so long as she didnt go back to the Uchiha compound.

_"I... i never want to go back there... ever again..." _Kirimi thought, swallowing the lump in her throat- trying to keep from crying. Turning a corner, she almost ran into someone, but a sudden noise caught her attention- a dog bark. Looking up, she saw a boy with a white dog planted on his head.

"Who're you?" he questioned," Never seen you around before."

"I- Kirimi..." It was all she could say- all she had strength for. Her throat still hurt, and she was emotionally weakened from the night previous.

"Ah... well, okay then," the boy said, and began walking away- but the white dog had other things in mind. He jumped from the boys head and scampered over to Kirimi. Sitting down in front of her, he looked up at her, then placed his nose against her leg, and whimpered.

"Aka- oh..." the boy said, and walked over to her," Seems Akamaru thinks you need some company. You're welcome to join us. We're heading to meet our team for some practice."

Kirimi looked up from Akamaru and locked eyes with the boy, and then nodded.

"Thank you." She bent down and pet Akamaru, then as she was standing up, Akamaru stood on his hind legs and looked up at her.

"Is it okay if i carry him?" Kirimi asked, barely managing to finish her sentence before her voice gave out.

"Sure!" Kirimi bent back down and picked him up. As they made their way through town, the boy rambled on and on- and then turned to her.

"I'm Kiba, by the way. Kiba Inuzuka," he told her. She nodded her head- her voice to weak to say anything. They continued through the village, and through some of the forest- until they came to a clearing.

"Sorry I'm late- ran into someone and Akamaru wouldnt leave without her, so..." Kiba said. Kirimi put Akamaru on the ground and stood back up, and looked around. Two other people were in the clearing. One girl, and another boy.

"Kirimi- these are my teammates- Hinata Hyuuga- and Shino Abarume." Kirimi inclined her head to both; Shino said nothing; Hinata inclined her head back, shyly looking at Kirimi.

"Where's K-"

"Right here." The voice was familiar to Kirimi, and she looked around- and saw a form appearing from thin air. Kurenai let her arms fall to her sides and looked around; she saw Kirimi and smiled.

"Hello again, Kirimi-san, How-" Before she could finish, Kirimi launched herself at Kurenai and buried her head against the older kunoichi. It took Kurenai by surprise, but Kurenai didnt hesitate a second, noticing that the young child wasnt feeling well. She wrapped her arms around the young girls head and stroked her hair.

"It's okay. No need to worry," Kurenai said softly.

"Kurenai-sensei- do you know Kirimi-san?" Kiba asked

"I met her yesterday," Kurenai told her team.

"Oh." Kurenai looked back down at Kirimi, who was still pressed up against her; Kurenai bent down and looked into Kirimi's eyes, holding her hands in a comforting manor.

"If its your father your missing- im sure he'll be back soon. The mission he got shouldn't take him and his team long to complete. If you want, im sure Sandaime wouldnt mind you hanging out in his office," Kurenai told Kirimi, who swallowed another lump in her throat.

"W-who's her f-father?" Hinata asked; Kurenai looked over at them, then back to Kirimi- who nodded.

"Asuma," Kurenai told them- then turned back to Kirimi- only to find the young girl staring off in the distance. Looking closely- Kurenai saw team 7.

"You can go up there with them, if you wish," Kurenai told Kirimi, who nodded and took off without a second look back. As she got nearer and nearer, Kirimi found herself running- anything to get to Sasuke sooner. Sasuke felt the approaching person, and turned around only to get tackled by his younger cousin. The ninja didnt fall, but was shocked to find the girl crying into him, clutching his shirt for dear life.

"O-oi... stop the waterworks," Sasuke said, uncertain of why she was crying. Kirimi looked up at him- and he found himself looking into her eyes- not the usual green ones- but her sharigan eyes. They stared at eachother for what seemed to be the longest time, before he looked away, a frown on his face; looking back at her, he told her," Come with me." He took her hand and led her away from Sakura and Naruto, and towards the village, instead of turning to go into the village, he led her across the bridge and towards the forest. Sitting down a few trees in, Sasuke brought Kirimi towards him and wrapped his arms around her. He knew all she needed was someone there, someone to comfort her through whatever it was she was going through. A part of him wished he had someone there for him... after what happened to the clan- but he never admitted it.

"_If i can be there for her... maybe... it'll make a difference... for her anyway..." _Sasuke thought, as Kirimi held onto Sasuke for dear life; he had no clue how much this meant for her, to have him here, comforting her- without him knowing she new everything.

"_How... how would he react... if he knew of how much I know_?" Kirimi asked herself as she began to calm down. She took a few deep breaths and calmed down. Taking a step back, she dried her tears and looked up at Sasuke, and gave him a smile. Weak smile- but a smile non the less, to let him know she was feeling better now.

"Come on," he said, and led her back to the clearing where Naruto and Sakura where- and Kakashi was now there.

"Well then- shall we begin practice for today?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah- and im gonna beat Sasuke, believe it!" Naruto exclaimed, and Sasuke sighed, a bored expression on his face.

"Kakashi-san?" Kirimi asked, hesitantly.

"Yes, Kirimi-san?" He replied, looking over at her.

"Would it be okay... if i joined? In the practice...?" Kirimi asked.

"Do you even know anything about being a ninja?" Naruto asked her, bending down and looking her in the eyes with a dumb look on his face.

"If she knows more than you im gonna laugh," Sakura said, and Naruto deflated.

"Sakura-chan, your so mean," Naruto cried.

"Do you?" Kakashi asked Kirimi, who looked up at him, and nodded.

"Very well- you can join us today," Kakashi nodded, and Kirimi smiled another smile- this time, it was a more true smile; a happy smile that normally lit her face.

"_I'm glad she's feeling better_," Kakashi thought, as he watched the four of them practice.


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry for the absence everyone!

Short chapter, but something is better than nothing, right?

Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto- but i do own Kirimi

* * *

_Broken heart one more time_

_Pick yourself up, why even cry_

_Broken pieces in your hands_

_Wonder how you'll make it whole_

_You know, you pray_

_This can't be the way_

_You cry, you say_

_Something's gotta change_

_And mend this porcelain heart of mine_

_Someone said "A broken heart_

_Would sting at first then make you stronger"_

_You wonder why this pain remains_

_Were hearts made whole just to break_

_-Porcelain Heart, Barlow Girl_

* * *

Kirimi waited patiently while Iruka-sensei spoke to Sandaime. While she waited, she stood atop the rooftop to the Hokage building, and looked out at the village. It'd been nearly six months since she first stepped foot in her home village; in Konoha. Though it had been a short time, her knowledge had progressed significantly. Every nook and cranny of the village- she knew; every secret passage, every face, every family- she knew. Kirimi had made it her mission to know such things. At first, all the villagers were surprised by the fact she was Asuma's daughter- then they began calling her "Granddaughter of Sandaime", but she wasn't gonna have that. It took some time, but surely enough, no one called her that now. Everyone called her by her name. The name Itachi had given her- that she had acquired from birth, she knew now. Every night, Kirimi had asked either Asuma or Sandaime to tell her a story about her past- anything that would tell her more about herself, her family or the village. As she looked out at the village, Kirimi saw the small flicker of movement- then her eyes spotted him.

"_Look who's back_," Kirimi thought sourly. She had noticed it very quickly; ever since her third day here, she had been followed by the masked individuals. They weren't Anbu, she knew that- for they looked different, but at the same time, they looked vaguely similar. A pattern has arose after the second month, and by now Kirimi could tell which was who just by the way they surveyed her- and by their mask. Ever since she had first noticed they continuously watched her, she pondered their reason. Though she knew they were there, she didn't pay them any attention, and ignored them for the most part.

"Kirimi." She spun around at her name, and saw her grandfather and Iruka standing a few feet behind her.

"Yes grand-papa?" she asked.

"After careful consideration- and deliberation between the council elders, myself and Iruka, we have came to a decision," Sandaime told her," With the proper training- with a shinobi I have already chosen- you will train outside of the school; not as an academy student, but as a genin- Only if you pass the academy exam that you have tomorrow." Kirimi's eyes widened and smiled from ear to ear.

"Really?! Oh Yay! Thank you Grand-papa! Thank you Iruka-sensei!" Kirimi exclaimed happily. She knew the rarity of being a genin at only 8 years old.

"I'll see you tomorrow an hour before classes normally starts, Kirimi-chan," Iruka smiled; she nodded enthusiastically in response, and then jumped off the rooftop, landing below with ease.

"I have to tell Sasu-chan about this! And Asu-daddy!" Kirimi thought happily, racing through the streets. It didn't take her long to find Sasuke. She ran up to him and completely bombarded him.

"GuesswhatSasu-chan?! IgettotaketheacademyexamtomorrowImsohappyOhmygoshI getthechancetobeagenninlikeyou!"

Sasuke just stared at her, a blank expression on his face, until finally he sighed and sat down, forcing her to sit down as well.

"Lets try that again," Sasuke said, sighing," What did you just say- and please, speak like a normal person."

"Sorry- its just I'm so excited!" Kirimi smiled.

"I could tell," Sasuke deadpanned.

"Anyway-! Grand-papa just told me that i can take the Academy exam tomorrow, and if i pass I can become a Genin. He told me he has someone in mind to be my sensei, since no one else is ready to pass yet, and there's no teams around my age that I would fit into," Kirimi said, trying to remain calm. Sasuke just sat there, his emotions in a whirlwind. Kirimi though, was to excited; as soon as she told Sasuke, she was up like a rocket, racing back through the village happily.

"I'm gonna study realllllly hard- so passing is guaranteed!" Kirimi thought, as she raced through the streets.

0o0o0o

The next day, Kirimi raced to the school and waited patiently for Iruka to show up. It didn't take him long- maybe ten minutes.  
"How did I know I would find you here, Kirimi-chan?" Iruka asked, smiling slightly.  
"I'm ready for the exam- I know it!" Kirimi exclaimed, her green eyes wide with excitement.  
"Alright, alright- come on. Now, keep in mind- if you don't pass the first time- we will give you a week or so to practice some more," Iruka told her, leading Kirimi through the school all the way to an empty classroom. Two other teachers were there, and nodded to them as they entered the room.

"I'm ready," Kirimi repeated, determination in her voice.

"Alright- good luck, Kirimi-chan," Iruka nodded, taking a seat at the table with the other two teachers.

"Lets begin with...shadow clones."

0o0o0o

One hour later- Kirimi ran out of the academy, tears in her eyes.

"_After all my practice, after all the hours I put into this-_" Kirimi thought, as she raced through the streets. She had only one thing on her mind, and ignored everyone who called out to her. Finally, she came upon the Hokage's building, and raced up the stairs, through the hall and to the door. Her thoughts muddled, she forgot about knocking and raced in. Falling to the floor in exhaustion, Kirimi took deep breaths, trying to calm herself.  
"Kirimi!" Asuma exclaimed, rushing over to his daughter," Are you alright?" He placed a hand on her back, and felt her body heave slightly, and saw the tear drops mark the wooden floor.  
"Kirimi..." Asuma murmured, realizing what must of happened. The young girl looked up, her green eyes staring into the Third Hokage's eyes. Though she was crying, a smile was plastered across her face.  
"I did it!" Kirimi breathed," I passed the test! I'm a genin!"


End file.
